GPO being moved away from Gulistan

The General Post Office (GPO) is being moved from Dhaka’s Gulistan area to a new location. Although the Gulistan GPO has been used as the headquarters of the postal division since 1963, an increase in workload has been causing problems with 1,852 employees and officials uncomfortably cramped for space. Since an extension is impossible for the three-storey building, a decision was taken to close the office and shift it to the headquarters of Bangladesh Postal Division at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, which is currently under construction. According to sources at the Planning Commission, the government has undertaken a project titled “Bangladesh Daak Odhidoftorer Sadar Doftor Nirman (Shongshodhito) Prostabito” which has a projected construction cost of Tk91.9 crore – which the government is reportedly bearing. The new building, to be built on 1.25 acres of land, is going to have two basements and 14 storeys with a total space of 417 square metres. The building will be equipped with a 500kVA generator, four elevators, an auditorium, conference room, IT server, firefighting system, and central air conditioning, according to sources. The Post and Telecommunications Ministry will oversee the project, and if all goes well, then the GPO will be shifted to its new premises on December 31. The new address for the GPO will be E/13/A, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar under Dhaka North City Corporation. With a nationwide increase in the number of clients, the workload of the Postal Division has also increased. However, a lack of workspace is leading to impediments or disruptions in the service. Since the building has a foundation fit for only its three storeys, it is impossible to build more floors on top of it. Furthermore, rebuilding the GPO in the same plot of land will cause all its activities to be suspended. As a result, the only option was to shift the premises entirely, with the Home and Social Welfare Ministry allotting the necessary land. Those associated with the Postal Division are hoping that the operations of the GPO will be faster and better with the extra space and fresh new premises acting as a boost for both employees and their work rates. Post, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Mustafa Jabbar said: “Once the building is complete and the GPO will be shifted, the amount and quality of services provided to the public by the Postal Division will increase because employees and officials will be able to work more easily in the spacious office.”This article was first published on Banglatribune.com