POST OFFICE REGULATIONS – 2024 -1

 PA Exam Materials – 148 POSTALMANUAL VOLUME V (PO & RMS GENERAL REGULATIONS) 

I. DEFINITIONS

General Post Office - The first class Head Office situated at the Headquarters of the Head of a circle or, where there are more than one such head office, the one attached to the Headquarters, is termed General Post Office.

Sub-Office 1) A Sub-office is a post office subordinate to and in account with a Head office and its monetary transactions are incorporated in the accounts of the latter office. The officer in-charge of a sub-office is designated a sub postmaster. 2) A sub-office situated in a town or its suburbs where there is also a Head Office is termed a town sub-office.

Branch Office - 1) A Branch Office is a Post Office of lower status than a sub office. It is in direct account with a Head or sub-office which is termed its accounts office and its monetary transactions are incorporated in the accounts of the latter office. The officer in-charge of a Branch Office is designated as Branch Postmaster. 2) A Branch Office situated in a town or its suburbs where there is also a Head Office is termed as Town Branch Office.

Transit Office - Any Post Office which is situated on a line of through mail communication, and receives & sorts bags intended for offices in advance, without opening them, is a transit office. The bags which are thus forwarded onwards unopened are termed forward bags. The transit bags addressed to a transit office are opened there, and the forward bags contained in them are sent onwards, either loose or enclosed in another transit bags. The use of a transit office is to reduce the number of loose bags.

Transit Mail Office - A branch of RMS where closed bags are received and despatched, sorting of letters is not done in this unit. Mail Agent or Mail Guard is in charge of this unit. This can function in number of sets depending upon requirements. If TMO is functioning in the night set, the set works throughout the night. One batch of officials who are working on a particular night will not work in the following night. Another batch officials will work in the following night. Both these batches will work alternatively.

Computerized Transit Mail Office - In certain cities, computers have been provided to handle the work of the Transit Mail Office. These offices are called Computerized TMOs.

Sorting Office - An office charged with the duty of opening the sorting mail bags received by it and disposing of their contents is termed as sorting Office. A Sorting Office may receive articles of all kinds in sorting. The use of Sorting Office is (a) to simplify the work of sorting in other offices, (b) to reduce the number of bags exchanged between Post Offices, and (c) to reduce the weight of mails carried on mail lines.

Automatic Mail Processing Centres - In important cities where mail traffic is high, sorting machine have been provided which have high speed of sorting. At present, these machines are functioning in Mumbai and Chennai.