Union Minister of Communications and Electronics and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday told that the total number of post offices in Kashmir is 698 and all are currently functional.
While replying to a query in Rajya Sabha, he said there was no suspension of postal services in Kashmir post August 5.
“The Department of Posts had 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 on account of operational reasons,” Prasad said.
He further told that the Department of Posts resumed inward mail services to Kashmir from the rest of the country from August 19 and electronic money orders from August 28.
Minister also said that the government took various steps for the 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 the early hours of the day to avoid any damage or loss to mail vehicles, mail bags, and staff. This enabled the 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 the public. Pay and allowances to the staff of Kashmir working in the Department of Posts are being paid regularly,” the minister said.