Government Of India/Bharat Sarkar
Ministry of Railways/Rail Mantralaya
(Railway Board)

To
General Managers, 
All Indian Railways

OSDs,

Sub :   Rationalisation of the rate structure for booking of parcel and luggage traffic effective from
1.4.2003 – Railway Budget 2003-2004.

*****

            Sanction of Central Government is hereby accorded to the rationalised rate structure for booking of parcel and luggage traffic as follows:-

1.0      In the rationalised rate structure for parcels, all types of commodities, including luggage, will be charged uniformally at the same rates, under four different Scales, depending on the type of service. 

2.0      The four Scales for different Parcel rates and the four corresponding types of  Parcel services are summarised  as under:-

2.1       The Zonal Railways will notify such Mail/Express trains for  Premier Parcel Service whose  utilisation of parcel space during the preceding twelve months was 60% or more.  The notification will be issued by the zonal railways separately for Up and Down directions of the trains.  

2.2        It has been decided that the same criterion will also apply to those Shatabdi Express trains which have more than 60% utilisation of parcel space and such trains may be upgraded from scale ‘S’ to scale ‘P’ after due notification. 

3.0      Registered Newspapers and Magazines will be charged at same rates, under the lowest Scale ‘E’, by all trains. 

4.0      Minimum distance for charge for all parcels, except registered Newspapers and Magazines, will be 50 kilometers and the minimum charge will be Rs. 30.00. 

5.0       Minimum distance for charge for the registered Newspapers and Magazines will be 250 kilometers and the minimum charge will be Rs. 2.00. 

6.0       Revised instructions regarding  leasing of parcel space in front SLRs, VPs on round trip basis, Millennium Parcel Express services etc. will follow. 

7.0       The General Secretary, IRCA has been requested to print and supply the new Parcel Rate tables as per the rationalised rate structure, effective from April 1, 2003.  Zonal railways should ensure that adequate number of copies of the new Parcel Rate tables are collected from the IRCA office and are distributed to the staff well in advance. 

8.0       Zonal Railways will ensure that adequate publicity is given in the media regarding rationalisation of the rate structure and it’s advantages to the users through simplification of the rules and reduced parcel rates.  Marketing efforts should be intensified to improve the volumes of parcel traffic and generate additional earnings from parcel traffic.  

9.0       Steps should be taken to ensure that the staff fully understand the changes in the parcel rates and the system of charging as per the rationalised rate structure and implement them correctly.  Commercial Inspectors and Traffic Inspectors of Accounts (TIAs) should be deputed to all parcel offices for ensuring correct implementation of the instructions and the  revised rate.

10.0      This issues with the concurrence of Finance Directorate of Ministry of Railways. 

11.0      These instructions and the new Parcel rate tables can also be obtained on the internet on the Indian Railways’ website namely www.indianrailways.gov.in

 12.0      The receipt of this letter may be acknowledged.
               
(Hindi version will follow) 

DA : Nil.                                                                                                                             ( Shiv Dan Singh )
Director  Freight Marketing
Railway Board.