No. :9-2/2021-PO
Government of India Ministry of Communications,
Department of Posts
(PO Division)
Dated. 28.04.2022
Subject: Guidelines for condemnation of Remotely Managed Franking Machines (RMFMs)— Reg.
Kindly find enclosed herewith the guidelines for the condemnation of Remotely Managed Franking Machines as Annexure-A.
2. It is requested to launch a drive for reviewing and condemning the RMFMs that are unserviceable and not fit for further use as per these attached guidelines.
3. This issues with the approval of Director General Postal Services. Encl.: As Above
Annexure-A
Guidelines for the Condemnation of Remotely Manaqed Frankinq Machines (RMFMs)
The exercise of condemnation of Remotely Managed Franking Machines will be carried out by a Condemnation Committee constituted at Circle level. The recommendations of the Committee will be considered for acceptance by Chief Postmaster General or the authority who is competent to purchase the RMFMs, with the concurrence of CIFA or RIFA. The Committee must follow the below mentioned guidelines while condemning the RMFMs.
Composition of Condemnation Committee
1. (i) A Committee for condemnation of Remotely Managed Franking Machines (RMFMs) may be constituted by the Chief Postmaster General or the authority who is competent to purchase the item in each Postal Circle. The Committee will comprise not less than 3 members, as suggested below:
a) A suitable JTS or STS Officer working in Circle Office or Circle as the Chairman of the Committee,
b) A representative from Finance wing of the Circle (CAO or ACAO or Sr. AO or AO) nominated by head of Postal Account Office (PAO).
c) A technical member working with a Government Department or PSUs such as MTNL, BSNL, ECIL, BEL etc., who is preferably based in the city where Circle Office is situated. This member should possess a Master's or Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or Diploma or Certification in the field of electronics.
Note 1: An officer of the Depadment of the level of PS Group “B”and haVing sufficient working knowledge of electronlc equipment or preferably RMFMs can be made the technical member of the Committee, if no suitable officer as mentioned in sub-point (c) above, is available.
Note 2: The Chief Postmaster General may nominate additional members if found necessary. However, the maximum number of members may be restricted to 5.
Points for Consideration of Condemnation Committee
2. Committee shall keep following points in view while considering the condemnation of the RMFMs:
(i) The Committee may recommend condemnation of only such machines which are found to be unserviceable. To determine the issue of unserviceability, the Committee may depend primarily upon the certificate of Divisional Head, which may be cross verified by the fitness certificate issued by the vendor.
(ii) Further, as informed by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) or the vendors, the machines become due for condemnation after their End-of-Life(EoL). However, this age criterion is only an indicative factor to be considered before condemnation. Many times, RMFMs are in working condition even after the life span indicated by the vendor. On the other hand, in some other instances, especially in cases where the volume of franking is high, the machines may become unserviceable before the time span indicated by the vendor.
(iii) The process of condemnation of RMFMs should be initiated on a case to case basis, considering the following parameters along with examining the suitability for use of the machines:
(a) Vendor prescribed lifespan,
(b) Average no. of franked articles
(c) Amount spent on repairing should not be more than the utility of RMFM
(iv) A tentative matrix of these parameters (lifespan, number of franks generated) on which the Committee should assess the machine is placed as Annexure-AI for ready reference.
3. Subsequent to the consideration of all relevant factors by the Condemnation Committee, only those machines that have been found unserviceable and not fit for further use will be condemned, subject to a clear recommendation to that effect from the Condemnation Committee.
4. Condemnation Committee should refer to the related papers (Purchase Order, Bill, History Sheet, etc.) while making decision for the condemnation of RMFMs. In instances where RMFM related papers could not be traced, the Committee may take its own decision after due examination of the functional status and productivity of the machine. Further, in such instances, a certificate confirming unserviceability should also be obtained from the vendor for considering these machines for condemnation. Committee may refer to the number of franks generated (as mentioned in Annexure-A )
1) by the RMFM. Further, if number of franks generated are not available Committee shall look into the anticipated cost for the repairing of machine. If the amount needed for repair is more than the utility of the RMFM, machines may be recommended for condemnation.
5. The meeting of the Condemnation Committee can be held at any place which is convenient for this purpose.
6. The lifespan mentioned in Annexure-A1 are purely indicative and Circles may adopt the most economic course of action depending upon the local conditions under the overall guidelines given above.
7. RMFMs that have been declared due for condemnation in the field units should be disposed of following all the standard Departmental instructions, guidelines issued by Government of India and Rules of General Financial Rules, 2017.
8. Once the machines are condemned, they should be removed from office use and kept in the area allocated for scrapped equipment. It should also be ensured that service and inventory labels may be removed from the machines. Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC), if any, should be stopped with the effective date ofcondemnation.
9. Circles shall take the concurrence of the respective Circle Internal Finance Advice (CIFA) before condemning the machines.
10. Further, guidelines issued by Ministry of Environment and Forest for handling and disposal of e-waste vide Gazette Notification S.O. 1035 (E) dated 12th May, 2011 may also be adhered to while disposing of the RMFMs.
