Commemorative postage stamp released to mark centenary of Mumbai GPO

Mumbai : April 12,2013 India Post today marked the centenary of Mumbai GPO building, with the release of commemorative postage stamp by Ms. P Gopinath, Secretary, Posts and Chairperson, Postal Services Board, Government of India, at a function held in the precincts of the heritage building.

As part of the celebration, India Post has also organized a philatelic exhibition on Mumbai at the 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 distinctive 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.

This  building is listed as a Grade-I heritage structure under  heritage regulation of Greater Bombay 1995.

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 computerized 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 :  http://pibmumbai.gov.in/scripts/detail.asp?releaseId=E2013PR523