Postal Manual Vol. VIII - India Post

353. Deleted.
354. Extraordinary occurrences. – On the occurrence of any serious event, such as
highway robbery of the mail, the loss of mails, an interruption of the mail service owing to the
destruction of bridges by floods, etc,., the overseer must proceed with all haste to the spot and
make such enquiries and arrangements as may be possible. An urgent report should be sent to the
Superintendent and the Inspector. Notice should also be given to the nearest post office and, in a
case of loss, also to the police.
355. Overseer’s diary. – (1) Every overseer must keep a diary in form (Genl. 4) in which
he should enter every day particulars of the travelling done by him, the names of stages visited,
arrangements made for the conveyance of extra-despatches or cash remittances, substitutes
appointed in place of runners absent, irregularities and offences committed by the road
establishment, leave applications from runners and all other matters on which orders are required
or which should be brought to the notice of the Superintendent or Inspector. The signatures of the
postmasters of offices visited should also be taken in the diary.
(2) The overseer should, when travelling over his beat, examine the condition and seals of
the bags carried by the runners and the books and the articles in the custody of the village postmen
or postmen whom he happens to meet, and of certain percentage, as fixed by the Head of the Circle
of money orders, paid by postmen and village postmen in his jurisdiction but the number should
not be less than 50 in a month. The particulars of the money order and the result of the verification
should be noted in his diary and in the Monthly list of money orders verified (Form Genl.6)
submitted with the monthly summary (Genl.12). He should also obtain as money receipts as
possible from the remitters of money orders and see that the date and other entries on each receipt
correspond with those in the counterfoil bearing the same number in the book of receipts and not
the result and the number of the receipts so verified in his diary. He should also from time to time
enquire from the residents of the villages through which he passes whether they receive their
letters and money order payments punctually, and report in his diary any complaints made by
villagers in regard to the delivery of letters or the clearance f letter-boxes or the payment of money
orders. The Overseer should verify the balances in cash and stamps of branch offices situated in
his beat and, if required by the Superintendent, the balances in cash and stamps of small suboffices
situated in his beat, and report the result of the check in his diary. He should also check the
used and unused branch office receipts in the current book of receipts to see that they are in
consecutive series up to 100 and that the used ones have been issued in chronological order. He
should also compare the dates of issue and other particulars on the branch office counterfoils with
those on the relative account office receipts, and if he notices any disagreement between the dates
which is not covered by the normal period of transit from the branch office to the account office, or
any other discrepancy, such as difference in the amount of money orders and name of payees or
addresses, etc., he should forthwith take up enquiries into the matter, reporting the fact to the subdivisional
Inspector. He should also check the used and unused receipts in the current book of
Savings Bank Preliminary receipts to see that they are in consecutive order and that the used ones
have been issued in chronological order and that the amounts for which such receipts have been
issued since the last visit have been accounted for in the Branch Office account correctly. He
should also see that pass books for new accounts were received from the Head Office within
reasonable time and delivered to the depositors and that the depositor’s copy of the Savings Bank
Preliminary receipt acknowledging the pass book has been pasted on the office copy of the relative
preliminary receipt. The result of the checks should always be noted by the Overseer in his diary
and in the order book of the branch office. The results of the checks carried out in accordance with
the provisions of the checks carried out in accordance with the provisions of rule 168 A should
also be noted in the diary. He should also be required to make enquiries into minor complaints
including cases of loss provided he is capable of doing the work properly.