Department of Posts
The Department of Posts is a government operated postal company. The Postal Company comes under Department of Posts which is the part of Ministry of Communications. According to the CAG report Union Government (Communication and IT Sector) for the year 2016, the scrutiny of records from December 2015 to January 2016 in 20 postal circles (states) disclosed that 1,608 free-hold plots measuring 48.08 lakh sqm which were purchased in past (even in 19th century) for the purpose of constructing postal offices and staff quarters were lying vacant. The possession cost of 980 free-hold plots was 77.03 crore and the information was not available for the remaining plots. It was observed that the current value of 472 vacant plots measuring 6.77 lakh sqm in the states such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, and Maharashtra had risen to Rs 209.55 crore (December 2015) from the actual acquisition cost 4.33 crore. [1]
The Department of Posts is a government operated posted company. The Postal Company comes under Department of Posts which is the part of Ministry of Communications. According to the CAG report Union Government (Communication and IT Sector) for the year 2016, the scrutiny of records from December 2015 to January 2016 in 20 postal circles (states) disclosed that 1,608 free-hold plots measuring 48.08 lakh sqm which were purchased in past (even in 19th century) for the purpose for constructing postal offices and staff quarters were lying vacant. The possession cost of 980 free-hold plots was 77.03 crore and the information was not available for the remaining plots. It was observed that the current value of 472 vacant plots measuring 6.77 lakh sqm in the states such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, and Maharashtra had risen to Rs 209.55 crore (December 2015) from the actual acquisition cost 4.33 crore. The 19 out of 22 circles (states) from the scrutiny of records (December 2015 to January 2016) disclosed that 241 free hold plots measuring an area of 3.24 lakh square meter with the purchasing cost of Rs 13.94 crore were encroached. Therefore, the current value of 107 encroached plots with 76,683 sqm as provided by the six circles, had risen to Rs 63.90 crore from its original value of Rs 3.59 crore. Scrutiny of land records made available to audit (December 2015 and January 2016) revealed that in 16 Circles out of 22 Circles, 100 plots measuring 4.08 lakh sq. meter acquired on lease for construction of post office buildings/staff quarters, as far back as in 1978, were still lying vacant and an amount of ` 3.37 crore during the period up to 2014 was paid towards lease rent .It was further observed that in Delhi Circle alone, 19 plots measuring 53,137 square meter taken on lease of ` 2.37 crore during 1983 to 2014 were still lying vacant without any use. In Mumbai Postal Region alone, nine plots measuring 16,597 square meters taken on lease during 1984 to 1992 were still lying vacant.[2]
| Name of State | Vacant Land Acquired on Lease (acres) | Acquistion Cost (in lakh) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradeh | 0.20 | 0.31 | |
| Bihar | 0.45 | NA | |
| Chattisgarh | 0.91 | NA | |
| New Delhi | 13.13 | 231.35 | |
| Gujarat | 0.80 | 11.31 | |
| Jharkhand | 35.50 | NA | |
| Jammu&Kashmir | 1.86 | 12.08 | |
| Karnataka | 29.70 | 7.99 | |
| Kerala | 1.68 | 14.43 | |
| Madhya Praadesh | 0.22 | NA | |
| Maharashtra | 6.78 | 19.94 | |
| Mizoram | 0.07 | NA | |
| Odisha | 3.28 | 7.59 | |
| Punjab | 0.20 | 7.59 | |
| Uttar Pradesh | 2.63 | 28.50 | |
| West Bengal | 3.42 | NA | |
| Total | 100.91 | 336.83 |
Details of Vacant Land Under Department of Posts
| State | Vacant Land (in acres) | Cost of Acquisition ( in crores) |
|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | 69.29 | 1.58 |
| Assam | 38.56 | 0.24 |
| Bihar | 18.17 | 11.82 |
| Gujarat | 42.89 | 43.34 |
| Haryana | 38.38 | 11.16 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 1.85 | 0.02 |
| Jammu & Kashmir | 1.43 | 0.02 |
| Jharkhand | 26.73 | 0.23 |
| Karnataka | 103.55 | 2.48 |
| Kerala | 39.88 | 2.59 |
| Madhya Pradeh | 6.14 | 0.09 |
| Maharahtra | 28.06 | 0.50 |
| North East | 8.87 | 0.01 |
| Odisha | 11.59 | 0.17 |
| Punjab | 13.35 | 0.35 |
| Rajasthan | 4.69 | 1.06 |
| Tamil Nadu | 68.83 | 0.72 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 7.11 | 0.39 |
| Uttarakhand | 3.86 | 0.26 |
| West Bengal | 614.40 | NA |
| Total | 1147.63 | 77.03 |
Details of Encroached Land under Department of Posts
The Department of Posts records of December 2015 to January 2016 audit of 19 out of 22 circles revealed that 3.24 lakh square metres of land of department worth Rs 13.94 crore have encroached upon. Therefore, 18.94 acres of land is under encroachment in six post circles including Maharashtra, Gujarat Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, the current acquisition cost of these lands has risen to Rs 63.90 crore for their actual cost which was Rs 3.59 crore.
References
- ↑ Comtroller Auditor General of India (CAG) (Communication and IT Sector) 2016. Report. CAG, 2016 https://www.cag.gov.in/sites/default/files/audit_report_files/Union_Communication_IT_Compliance_Report_29_2016.pdf
- ↑ Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.Report no. 29. Accessed April 5, 2018. http://www.cag.gov.in/sites/default/files/audit_report_files/Union_Communication_IT_Compliance_Report_29_2016.pdf.
