India's first 3D Post office proposed in Bengaluru

In an innovative move, Bengaluru will soon have India’s first Post office built out of 3D printing technology which will be ready in just a month.

The Post office will be set up in Halasuru’s Cambridge Layout on a plot of land owned by the postal department. According to a report by The New Indian Express, the 1,000-square-feet building will cost 25 lakh rupees to set up, reducing the final cost by 25%. Post offices built using 3D print technology will function the same as normal Post offices.

The Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, along with IIT-Madras, has given the ‘technology approval’ to Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) for 3D concrete printing of structures running to three floors from the ground. The design of the building has been submitted to the Postal department and if everything goes according to plan, Bengaluru will soon see the first 3D printed Post office in the country.

Meanwhile the one-month time frame has been a major challenge to the Postal department, with officials saying there are many procedures involved. “A contract that costs more than ₹2.5 lakh must be opened up for competitive bidding, according to the rules. However, since this is likely to be the only concern eligible in this category, we could nominate L&T. We are verifying it and the work order may be issued to the company in around a month. The designs have already been submitted to us and the building would be ready by next month, ” the Chief Postmaster General of Karnataka Circle, S Rajendra Kumar, told the publication.