Stamped with old-world charm, Amritsar GPO to get expert care

Neha Saini

Amritsar, July 17

The iconic landmark of the holy city — General Post Office (GPO) — is all set to undergo restoration and conservation work. Experts from the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Punjab, will collaborate with their Delhi counterparts to initiate the work to mark the centenary year of the GPO’s establishment.

Set up as a local sub-post office, the Amritsar GPO was upgraded to a head office in 1894. The head post office was shifted to its current premises, a single-storey structure located on the Court Road, in March 1926, although the building was completed in December 1925. It was declared a heritage structure on February 15, 1993.

The building is a fine example of architecture and craftsmanship of the British era with jack arch ceilings, archways, front porch with a grand doorway, skylights, fire places, etc. Showing signs of ageing, the heritage structure had previously undergone minor repairs.

A team of experts, led by INTACH-Delhi’s conservation architect Hrutika Satdive, recently conducted a site visit. INTACH-Punjab convener Maj Gen Balwinder Singh said the Department of Post, GOI, had sought INTACH’s expertise to identify, document and preserve heritage buildings of the department.

“An MoU was signed between INTACH and the Department of Post for the documentation and conservation of heritage post offices across the country on July 19, 2022. As a follow-up of this initiative, specific MoUs were signed between INTACH and GPOs of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Nagpur. The work in Mumbai and Delhi is in progress, whereas detailed project reports have been submitted for Chennai GPO and Philatelic Bureau. The restoration of Amritsar GPO will be done under the INTACH-Delhi chapter,” he said.

He called this collaboration a significant effort towards conserving the unique postal heritage of India.

Satdive said, “It is a beautiful building, exceptional for its time. It showcases a lot of impact elements in its architecture. Additionally, it is still in use. There is a lack of maintenance because it’s a public structure. We have found four-five fireplaces inside the building that are not functional. We would love to design a plan where these can be made functional.”

She said the project would take some time to take off. “We have simple goals — keep the building functional and have its original architecture restored or optimised keeping up with the times,” she added.

British-era marvel

• Construction of the single-storey building in Amritsar was completed in December 1925
• It’s a fine example of architecture and craftsmanship of British era
• The iconic building was declared a heritage structure on February 15, 1993