Manner of Delivery of Items - Post Office Regulations 2024

CHAPTER III

MANNER OF DELIVERY OF ITEMS

41. Accountable items.- The delivery of the accountable items shall be made-

1. to the addressee or the authorized person in case of registered item, insured item, Cash on Delivery, Money order;
2. to the authorised person or on the address in case of speed post item, India post parcel, etc.  

42. Accountable items to be issued for delivery.- (1) An accountable item shall be issued for delivery and if it is not delivered due to any reason on its first presentation, it shall be issued once again for delivery. In case of inability to deliver after two attempts, it shall, in no case, be issued again for delivery.

(2) A notice of arrival of the accountable item, shall, however, be issued to the addressee for taking delivery of such item himself or by authorised person from the post office.  

43. Addressee to sign in receipt.- (1) The addressee of an accountable item or an authorised person, shall sign in the receipt and proof of delivery, in case relating thereto, of the item, unless the outward appearance of the cover gives rise to suspicion of tampering.  

2. Where the outward appearance of the cover of the accountable item is suspected to be tempered, the item shall be opened at the post office, in the presence of the Postmaster, and to have its contents entered in an inventory, which shall be prepared in duplicate and shall be signed by the addressee.  
3. One copy of the signed inventory shall be forwarded by the post office to the sender with unsigned proof of delivery attached to it and in case, the addressee or authorised person is not known to the staff of the post office from which the item is to be delivered, the identification of the addressee or authorised person by a person known to the post office staff, or the production of evidence which will establish his identity to the satisfaction of the Postmaster, shall be necessary if so, required by the delivering post office official.  

44. Letter delivery box of items other than accountable items.- (1) Items may be delivered in the post box or post bag for such addressee who has availed the facility of post box or post bag.  

2. In cases of non-availing of post box or post bag, items shall be delivered through a letter delivery box installed in the premises of the addressee.  
3. A letter delivery box with the name and address superscribed thereon and of such dimension as per the requirement of the addressee, shall be installed by the addressee on the ground floor of each of the house or buildings referred to in sub-regulation (2) in which the addressee is located and such letter delivery boxes shall be located at a convenient place which is easily accessible to the Postman or delivery person.

Explanation.- For the purposes of this sub-regulation, the term “building” refers to construction having two storeys or more, including high-rise buildings, and are in existence or construction of which has been completed;

Provided that a single letter delivery box may be provided as a common letter box by one or more or all the addressees located in a building or same floor of the building:  

Provided further that where an item required to be delivered against receipt remains undelivered due to non-availability of the addressee, an intimation relating thereto may be given through the letter delivery box or through digital communication.

4. Every such letter delivery box shall be provided with a posting aperture located at the top and facing the front, incorporating a horizontal ledge projecting inwards from the lower edge of the posting aperture.
5. Where such a letter delivery box is not installed, the delivery of such items shall only be effected at the post office till the time the letter delivery box is installed.  
6. Where there is a genuine difficulty in complying with the provisions of this order in a particular building, the Divisional Head, for reasons to be recorded in writing, exempt the said building from the provisions of this regulation.
7. Items of such size that cannot be delivered in a letter delivery box, and unpaid or insufficiently paid items shall be delivered to the addressee or authorised person or on the address, through the Postman or delivery person.
8. The delivery of the unpaid or insufficiently paid items shall be made only after collection of the postage, required to be collected.

45. Window delivery.- The addressee of an item may avail the facility of receiving items at the post office during business hours without having the facility of post box or post bag system, by giving a written request to the Postmaster without any charge and in such case, the item shall not be given to Postman for doorstep delivery.  
46. Post box.- (1) A person, a firm, or other body, may avail the facility of post box at certain post offices by an application accompanied by the applicable fee as mentioned in Table IX of Schedule I, for delivery of fully prepaid items bearing the post box number, through the post box.  

(2) The conditions related to the post box shall be specified by administrative instructions from time to time.

47. Post bags .- (1) A person, a firm or other body, may avail the facility of post bag at any post office by making an application accompanied by the applicable fee as mentioned in Table IX of Schedule I, for receiving and delivery of fully prepaid items bearing the post bag number, through the post bag.  

(2) The conditions related to the post bag shall be as specified by administrative instructions from time to time.

48. Smart delivery box.- (1) The Circle Head is authorised to designate the post offices or other locations, where the services of the smart delivery box are available.  

2. The service shall be availed by anyone by applying to the post office along with the fee or charge as specified by administrative instructions from time to time. 
3. The smart delivery box shall be used for delivery of such items addressed to the assignee of the box as specified by administrative instructions from time to time. 

49. Delivery to public officers.- (1) Items superscribed "On India Government Service", and containing in the address both the name and official designation of a public officer or does not contain the official designation, shall be delivered or redirected according to the official designation even when the person named no longer holds the appointment designated or has left the station.

(2) Items which do not bear the superscription "On India Government Service", but contain in the address both the name and official designation of a public officer, shall be delivered or redirected according to the name, whereas items which do not contain the name in the address, shall be delivered according to the official designation of the addressee.

50. Special procedure for delivering items to firms, etc.- (1) The items addressed for delivery to a firm or company, shall be delivered to the authorised person by the owner, partner, or proprietor, as the case may be.

(2) The authority letter shall be given by the owner or proprietor or partner, as the case may be, to the Postmaster of the delivery post office of the area where the office of the firm or company is situated.

51. Items addressed to deceased persons.- Items addressed to persons who are dead, shall be treated as if they were unclaimed and disposed of as per provisions of subregulation (2) of regulation 65.  
52. Delivery of damaged item.- Where an accountable item is received in the office of delivery in a damaged condition, a notice shall be sent to the addressee requesting him to attend the post office within seven days in the case of domestic item and fifteen days in the case of international item to take delivery and the delivery or disposal of such item shall be effected as may be specified by administrative instructions.
53. Intimation to addressee.- The intimation to the addressee shall be served by the Postman for accountable items as may be specified by administrative instructions from time to time.
54. Seeking identification of addressee, if needed.- (1) The postman or delivery person may seek the identification of the addressee or authorised person before delivering the item, in case, the addressee or the authorised person is not known to him.  

(2) The delivery of accountable items containing passport, Permanent Account Number (PAN) card, driving licence, and other items, shall be delivered only after seeking the identification of the recipient in a manner as may be specified by administrative instructions from time to time.

55. Redirection of items.- (1) The sender of an item may avail the following facility in respect of the accountable domestic item and international inward item, by paying a postal fee as mentioned in Table VI of Schedule I, without reference to the consent of the addressee, namely :- 

1. recall of the item from the post:

 Provided that the item may be cancelled before it has been dispatched from the office of booking for any reason as may be specified by administrative instructions from time to time; or

2. alteration in address or name of the addressee.

2. The addressee of an item may avail the facility of alteration in address, free of charge in case where the original address and the substitute address are within the delivery area of the same post office; or otherwise by paying a postal fee, as mentioned in sub-regulation (1).
3. The Post Office shall give a receipt of the applicable fees.

56. Request to avail certain facilities.- No request of the sender or addressee of an item, under regulation 57 shall be entertained if the item is out for delivery at the destination post office, or has been seized, or confiscated, or destroyed under any applicable law of the land concerned.  
57. Manner of making request.- (1) A sender or addressee or authorised person may make a written request for availing the facilities mentioned in regulation 55, with reasons, accompanied by the applicable fee, to the post office:

 Provided that no such request shall be entertained in case of an item addressed to a foreign country or territory unless such item is addressed to a country or territory as may be specified by administrative instructions in this regard.

(2) Postage and applicable fee, once paid, shall, in no circumstances, be refunded.

58. Post Office not liable for non-fulfilment of request.- Subject to the conditions mentioned in regulations 55 and 56, the Post Office shall not be liable for nonfulfilment of the request of the sender and shall not incur any liability by reason of delivery of any item contrary to an application made in this regard:

Provided that, in such cases, the fee charged for such a request shall be refunded.  

59. Postage payable on delivery .- The Postmaster or officer in-charge, shall ensure that the following classes of items are properly charged with postage in their presence:  

1. insufficiently paid items that have been treated as fully prepaid;  
2. unpaid items that are not impressed with the postage due stamp; and  
3. items that have not been charged by the offices of dispatch with the full amount of postage due on them.  

60. Postage-due stamp.- (1) The postage-due stamp shall be impressed on the items mentioned in regulation 59 and the amount shown by the impression of the postagedue stamp of the office of dispatch shall be mentioned under the initials of the Postmaster or the officer in-charge or the authorised office or official.  

2. In the case of an item received by foreign post, postage shall not, under any circumstances, be charged by any post office other than the foreign post office through which it passes.  
3. If an unpaid item of the foreign post, which has not been impressed with the T - stamp by the office of origin and has not been taxed by the foreign post office through obvious error, is received in a post office for delivery, then such item shall be sent back to the foreign post office concerned to be properly taxed and shall be delivered on receipt back after recovery of the postage due:

 Provided that items received with just printed impressions indicating the country or territory of origin and the phrase "Tax persue" meaning "charge collected", "Port paye" meaning "Postage Paid", or a similar expression in the language of the country or territory of origin, without any amount of the postage collected being indicated, shall not be taxed either by the offices of exchange or by the offices of delivery and shall be delivered as if fully prepaid.  

61. Delivery of items on which customs duty is due.- Items on which customs duty to be recovered is in excess of the amount as specified by administrative instructions from time to time, shall ordinarily be delivered at the post office window and such duty may be paid either in cash or by cheque or by any other specified mode.
62. Refusal of items.- (1) The addressee of an item shall not be bound to pay the amount due on it to the post office, if he does not want to take delivery of it and in such case, the word “Refused” shall be written by the Postman across the cover.  

2. Unclaimed and refused items shall be returned, at once, direct to the offices of posting for delivery to the sender and if the sender of such items so returned to the office of posting cannot be found, the items shall then be sent to the Returned Letter Office.
3. In respect of international item, such item shall be returned to the foreign post office for further disposal.  

63. Obligation to pay sum charged.- When a person takes delivery of an item on which any sum is due to the Post Office, he shall pay the amount marked upon it.  
64. Detention and disposal of undelivered items at post office of addressee.- (1) An item shall ordinarily be kept in deposit in the post office to which it is addressed for a period of seven days after all enquiries to find the addressee have proved unsuccessful.

(2)  An item, on instructions for deposit at the post office received from the addressee, shall remain in the post office to which it is addressed, for a period as may be specified by administrative instructions from time to time.

65. Undelivered items to be returned in certain cases.- (1) An undelivered item, of which the addressee-

1. has refused, or after due notice omitted, to take delivery, or the addressee does not take delivery within the period as specified by administrative instructions from time to time; or
2. is known to have left address without intimation to the post office as to the redirection of his correspondence; or  
3. is dead and there is no person to whom the item could properly be delivered,  

shall not be detained in the post office to which it is addressed and shall be returned to the sender if the item bears clearly on the outside, the name and address of the sender, or otherwise sent to the Returned Letter Office concerned.

2. The item referred to in sub-regulation (1) shall be delivered to the sender or authorised person and any proof of delivery attached thereto shall not be delivered and destroyed.  
3. In case of the item being undelivered to the sender, such item shall be sent to the Returned Letter Office (RLO) concerned.  

 

66. Standard remarks on undelivered items.- (1) The reasons for non-delivery shall be recorded by use of the standard remarks, as specified by administrative instructions from time to time.  

(2) The production of an item, having thereon the official mark of the Post Office denoting that the item has been dealt with as indicated by any of the standard remarks, as specified in sub-regulation (1) shall be proof of the fact so denoted and the person from whom the item is purported to have come, shall, until the contrary is proved, be deemed to be the sender thereof.

67. Detention and disposal of undelivered items at Returned Letter Office (RLO).The items that remain undelivered to the address as well as the sender, shall be detained at Returned Letter Office for a period of -  (a) fifteen days when they are unaccountable; and  

(b) thirty days when they are accountable.  

Explanation.- For the purpose of this rule, “Returned Letter Office” means an office that deals with unclaimed and refused items, or items without addresses, or with undecipherable or incomplete addresses.  

68. Procedure in case of dealing undelivered items.- (1) The undelivered items referred to in regulation 64 to 66 shall be dealt with as follows: -

1. items without intrinsic value, such as, items containing printed or handwritten papers, shall be disposed of forthwith by selling it as waste paper or destroyed;
2. magazines, periodicals and newspapers may, at the option of the Regional

Head, be used for any public purpose;  

3. items with intrinsic value shall be disposed of through auction;
4. postcards and letter cards on which the postage has not been prepaid shall be destroyed forthwith;  

 Provided that nothing in this regulation shall prevent the immediate destruction of any item deemed necessary for public good.

(2) On the expiration of the period specified in regulation 67, the item shall be disposed of, in a manner as deemed fit by the Circle Head or the Regional Head concerned, in the Returned Letter Office.  

 

69. Period for which intimation regarding change in address remain valid.- (1) A resident can give written intimation, regarding change in his residential or official address, to the concerned post office for delivery of the items addressed to him or to his address to the new address.  

2. Such intimation shall remain valid for a period not exceeding three months.  
3. the provisions of sub-regulation (2) of regulation 55 shall mutatis mutandis be applicable for delivery of items.  

70. Officers or officials authorised to make an official mark.- (1) The following officers or officials are authorised to make an official mark on items denoting that any postage or other sum is due in respect thereof to the Post Office and such mark shall be the proof that the sum so denoted is due; and that the item has been refused or rejected or unclaimed, or cannot for any other reason be delivered: -

1. Postmaster of the office;
2. concerned supervisor and officials, who have been assigned with the work of delivery of the items;
3. Postman or the authorised delivery person.

2. In the cases related with branch post offices, the delegation of work, as referred to in sub-regulation (1) performed by the Post Master and Postman or authorised delivery person shall be performed by the Grameen Dak Sevak Branch Postmaster and Grameen Dak Sevak performing the work of delivery of items respectively.
3. The procedure for the purposes of these regulations shall be as specified by administrative instructions from time to time. 

71. Recovery of dues in respect of unpaid and insufficiently paid domestic items.- Any item on which the postage or airmail fee thereon is not prepaid, or is insufficiently prepaid, shall, on delivery of the postal articles to the addressee or, in case of undeliverable, to the sender, be charged with the rates as mentioned in Table VIII of Schedule I. 
72. Recovery of dues in respect of unpaid and insufficiently paid international items.- (1) Any inward international item on which the postage or airmail fee thereon is not prepaid or is insufficiently prepaid, shall, on delivery of the postal articles to the addressee or, in case of undeliverable, to the sender, be charged with the rates as mentioned in Table X of Schedule III.

(2) Any outward international item on which the postage or airmail fee thereon is not prepaid or is insufficiently prepaid, shall not be forwarded to the destination but shall be delivered to the sender without any charge.