India
Post today marked the centenary of Mumbai GPO building, wwiththe release of
Commemorative Postage Stamp by Ms P. Gopinath, Secretary (Posts) and Chairperson, Postal
Services Board, Government of India, at a function held in a precincts of the heritage
building.
As of
the celebration, India Post has also orgnaised a philatelic exhibition on
Mumbai at ground floor of the GPO.
GPO,
through the ages
General
Post Office, Mumbai was established in the year 1794 by the then Postmaster
General for Bombay Presidency, Charles Elphinstone. Strategically located near
the Chhatrapati Shivaji Railway Terminus and the Sea Port to allow quick
transfer of mail from overseas and inland, this office has been serving the
common man for over 200 years.
The
present GPO building was designed by John Begg, Consulting Architect and the
construction was completed in 1913.
The
building is a magnificent example of the Indo-Saracenic style adopted by the
British in India. Built in local grey Kurla Basalt with dressings of yellow
stone from Malad and white stone from Dhragandhara, the architecture reflects a
strong influence of Islamic architecture in its skyline dominated by domes and
minarets.
The
most remarkable feature of the interior of the GPO is its central dome, which
has distinctive3 resemblance to the Gol Gumbaz of Bijapur. It has a diameter of
65 feet, which is the largest in the city. Turrets and minarets resemble Moghul
Architecture.
Mumbai
GPO to offer core banking services soon.
The
business hall of Mumbai GPO is unique with 101 counters and serves about 40,000
customers a day. The renovated portion of Mumbai GPO known as ‘Bicentenary
Hall”occupies 10,000 sq.ft. area and has been provided with modern amenities
like computerised savings bank, multipurpose counter machines etc.
Today,
Mumbai GPO is counted among the major post offices in the country offering a
bouquet of traditional and modern services. It is a one stop-shop for all
postal services and can truly be called a ‘Post Mall’.
Mumbai
GPO will soon be offering Core Banking Services for its esteemed customers with
a state of the art ATM. Very soon Mumbai GPO will be awarded ISO certification
from Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS)
Source : PIB Mumbai
