India's First 3D Printed Post Office To Soon Come Up In Karnataka

India's first 3D printed post office is slated to come up in Karnataka and will cost around one-fourth of the amount spent on a traditional building.

The post office will be built at Cambridge Layout in Bengaluru's Halasuru.

S Rajendra Kumar, Karnataka circle's chief postmaster general, was quoted in a New Indian Express report as saying that the department is keen on building low-cost post office and has approached construction major L&T for the same.

"We approached Larsen & Toubro Construction in connection with building our Halasuru Bazaar sub-post office. It is said to be the only company undertaking 3D printing-enabled construction in India,” Kumar said.

According to the report, the postal department has its own plot of land in Halasuru.

He said that a building of around 1,000 sq ft would cost less than Rs 25 lakh if 3D printing technology is used.

"This would work out to just 25 per cent of the normal construction cost,” he said.

Kumar added that the technology could offer the department a feasible alternative to provide post office buildings in areas which desperately require them.

He said that L&T has obtained technology approval from the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry's Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council, and IIT Madras for 3D concrete printing for structures running from ground-plus-three floors

Kumar said that the work order is likely to be issued to L&T within a month.

However, there are certain procedural issues that needed to be sorted out before work order is issued to L&T as the project will first such initiative in the country.

“As a rule, any contract running to over Rs 2.5 lakh must be opened up for competitive bidding. However, since this is likely to be the only concern eligible in this category, we could nominate them. We are verifying it and the work order may be issued to L&T within a month," he said.

Kumar added that L&T have already submitted designs to the department and have assured that the building would be ready in a month.