Post offices in J&K are fully functional: Ravi Shankar Prasad

The total number of post offices in Kashmir is 698 and all are currently functional, the Minister of Communications and electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad, said on Thursday.

Replying to a query in Rajya Sabha, Prasad said there was no suspension of postal services in Kashmir post August 5.

"However, to regulate the inward mail traffic and electronic money orders, the Department of Posts temporarily suspended booking and transmission of Speed Post, Registered Post and Parcels from August 5 to August 18 and booking of electronic money orders to Kashmir from August 13 to August 27 August, on account of operational reasons, the minister said.

Department of Posts resumed inward mail services to Kashmir from the rest of country from August 19 and electronic money orders from August 28.

He also said that the government took various steps for functioning of the Post Offices to service courts and other institutions. Both wings of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir that is Jammu wing and Srinagar Wing and all the District Courts in Jammu, Kashmir regions have been functioning normally before and after August 5.

He said that mail vehicle schedules of Kashmir have been rescheduled to forward mail bags to all the post offices during early hours of the day to avoid any damage or loss to mail vehicles, mail bags and staff. This enabled delivery of mail in all delivery areas.

The minister stressed concerned authorities have been requested to activate mobile and landline numbers of Post offices and Postmasters to provide basic postal services.

Special mail arrangements have been made with Jammu & Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation, to carry mail bags from August 18 onwards from Jammu to Srinagar.

"Monitoring of daily operations of post offices through daily reports from all the postal divisions was made and basic postal operations have been ensured for public. Pay and allowances to staff of Kashmir working in the Department of Posts are being paid regularly," the minister said.IANS