Postal Manual Vol. VIII - India Post

(2) There are two systems under which village postmaster beats can be arranged, viz., (a)
the fixed beat and (b) the unfixed beat system – see Rules 274 and 275.
NOTE .- The term ‘village postmen’ mentioned in this rule including postmen and extra
departmental delivery agents not serving all the villages in their beats daily.
133. Omitted.
134. Village return. – The yearly village returns (MS-88) submitted by the Inspector
should be carefully studied by the Superintendent to see whether the work performed by each
Village Postman justifies the existence of the post or it can be replaced by Extra Departmental
Delivery Agent without curtailing the existing delivery facility.
The Superintendent should also see whether any villages which are now served on unfixed
beat basis are to be converted into a fixed beat service and vice versa, depending on the articles
received for delivery in that village. Normally a village which receives letters daily or alternate
days must be on the fixed beat service. He must also examine whether the frequency of delivery to
the villages which are not being served daily has to be improved on the basis of the letters received
for delivery. He must also examine the justification for either planting a letter box in a village or
removing the letter box already provided. As a rought estimate a village which on an average
receives two letters a day and which is situated at a distance of one mile from the nearest post
office or letter box should be provided with a letter box. The extract of the orders passed by the
Superintendent on the village returns should be communicated to the Sub-Divisional Inspectors for
implementation, and the returns filed in the divisional office for future reference, when the
question of either opening a new rural office or revision of rural delivery establishment has to be
examined.
135. Letter-boxes. – (1) The Superintendent should maintain a correct and up-to-date
record of all letter-boxes within his jurisdiction in the form of a statement given below :-
Statement of letter boxes in the ……………….
Dn.
Name or Post Office or mail office
(Arranged as in the List of Post Offices
Head Office by Head Ofice, etc.
Name of locality or village where the letter
box is situated.
Type of letter box
Type of lock used.
Classification of area Urban/ Rural
Designation of the official clearing the letter
box.
Day and hour
of clearance
Day or days of clearance
Hour of clearance (Clearance)*
Distance from office or from last letter-box
on the beat
Date on which last painted
REMARKS
* The letter boxes in which special clearance of letter boxes on Sundays for late fee letters will be
made should be entered in red ink below the entries of regular letter-boxes. Letter Boxes which
are cleared on post office holidays will be denoted by the letters ‘P. H.’ against the entry
mentioned therein.