Lok Sabha Question No. 2016 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-03-09
Subject: Closing of Post Offices
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: PARAYAMPARANBIL KUTTAPPAN BIJU, INNOCENT

## MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF POSTS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2016 TO BE ANSWERED ON 9 TH  MARCH,  2016

## CLOSING OF POST OFFICES

2016.  SHRI P.K. BIJU: SHRI INNOCENT:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a) the Statewise number of post offices in the country;

- (b) whether some post offices have been closed down permanently; and

- (c) if so, the details thereof during the last three years and the current year, State wise along with the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

- (a) State-wise number of Post Offices functional in the country (as on 31.03.2015) is at Annexure-I.

- (b) Yes, Madam.

- (c) Postal  Circle-wise  number  of  Post  Offices  closed  down  during  the  last  three years 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and the current year  2015-16 (upto 29.02.2016) is at Annexure-II . Some Post Offices were closed down as a result of merger, relocation and upgradation of Branch Post Offices into Departmental Sub-Post Offices with a view to rationalize  the  existing  postal  network  for  optimal  utilization  of  post  offices  in  the changing demography and urbanization process in the country.

Contd………2/-

## ANNEXURE-I

## State-wise/Postal Circle-wise Number of Post Offices functional in the country (as on 31.03.2015)

| Sl. No.   | Name of the Postal Circles                                                                       |   Total No. of Post Offices |
|-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh                                                                                   |                       10375 |
| 1.1       | Telangana                                                                                        |                        5780 |
| 2         | Assam                                                                                            |                        4012 |
| 3         | Bihar                                                                                            |                        9067 |
| 4         | Chhattisgarh                                                                                     |                        3147 |
| 5         | Delhi                                                                                            |                         551 |
| 6         | Gujarat                                                                                          |                        8926 |
| 6.1       | Dadra & Nagar Haveli                                                                             |                          38 |
| 6.2       | Daman & Diu                                                                                      |                          19 |
| 7         | Haryana                                                                                          |                        2677 |
| 8         | Himachal Pradesh                                                                                 |                        2782 |
| 9         | Jammu & Kashmir                                                                                  |                        1699 |
| 10        | Jharkhand                                                                                        |                        3099 |
| 11        | Karnataka                                                                                        |                        9667 |
| 12        | Kerala                                                                                           |                        5054 |
| 12.1      | Lakshadweep                                                                                      |                          10 |
| 12.2      | Mahe                                                                                             |                           4 |
| 13        | Madhya Pradesh                                                                                   |                        8323 |
| 14        | Maharashtra                                                                                      |                       12601 |
| 14.1      | Goa                                                                                              |                         258 |
| 15        | North East [States include Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura] |                        2920 |
| 16        | Odisha                                                                                           |                        8169 |
| 17        | Punjab                                                                                           |                        3807 |
| 17.1      | Chandigarh                                                                                       |                          49 |
| 18        | Rajasthan                                                                                        |                       10329 |
| 19        | Tamil Nadu                                                                                       |                       12034 |
| 19.1      | Pondicherry                                                                                      |                          96 |
| 20        | Uttarakhand                                                                                      |                        2723 |
| 21        | Uttar Pradesh                                                                                    |                       17655 |
| 22        | West Bengal                                                                                      |                        8759 |
| 22.1      | A & N Islands                                                                                    |                         100 |
| 22.2      | Sikkim                                                                                           |                         209 |
|           | Total                                                                                            |                      154939 |

Contd……..3/-

## ANNEXURE-II

## Postal Circle-wise number of  Post Offices closed during  2012-13,  2013-14, 2014-15 & 2015-16 (upto  29.02.2016)

| Sl. No.   | Name of the Circles                      |   2012-13 |   2013-14 |   2014-15 |   2015-16 [upto 29.02.2016] |
|-----------|------------------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------------------------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh including Telangana State |         0 |         0 |         0 |                           0 |
| 2         | Assam                                    |         0 |         2 |         2 |                           0 |
| 3         | Bihar                                    |         0 |         0 |         0 |                           0 |
| 4         | Chhattisgarh                             |         0 |         0 |         0 |                           0 |
| 5         | Delhi                                    |         0 |         0 |         0 |                           0 |
| 6         | Gujarat                                  |         1 |         1 |         2 |                           0 |
| 7         | Haryana                                  |         4 |         4 |         0 |                           0 |
| 8         | Himachal Pradesh                         |         0 |         0 |         0 |                           0 |
| 9         | Jammu & Kashmir                          |         0 |         0 |         0 |                           0 |
| 10        | Jharkhand                                |         0 |         0 |         4 |                           4 |
| 11        | Karnataka                                |        16 |         0 |        23 |                          10 |
| 12        | Kerala                                   |        10 |         2 |         0 |                           0 |
| 13        | Madhya Pradesh                           |         0 |         0 |         0 |                           0 |
| 14        | Maharashtra                              |         0 |         0 |         0 |                           0 |
| 15        | North East                               |         3 |         4 |         0 |                           0 |
| 16        | Odisha                                   |         0 |         2 |         5 |                           9 |
| 17        | Punjab                                   |         0 |         0 |         3 |                           2 |
| 18        | Rajasthan                                |         0 |         0 |         0 |                           0 |
| 19        | Tamil Nadu                               |         0 |         0 |         0 |                           0 |
| 20        | Uttar Pradesh                            |         1 |         8 |         0 |                           0 |
| 21        | Uttarakhand                              |         0 |         0 |         0 |                           0 |
| 22        | West Bengal                              |         0 |         0 |         0 |                           0 |
|           | Total                                    |        35 |        23 |        39 |                          25 |

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