Sikkim field visit by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on I&T

Rongpo post office likely to get Heritage status

Gangtok: The second oldest post office in Sikkim, the Rangpo post office could be soon declared as a heritage postal building by the Union government following a field visit by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information & Technology.

A 12-member Parliamentary committee led by its chairman MP Achuthan on Monday inspected the wooden post office at Rangpo bazaar, 41 kms away from Gangtok. The team was briefed about the heritage value of the Rangpo post office by Sikkim Lok Sabha member PD Rai, who is also a member of the standing committee on Information & Technology.

“The Rangpo post office has been rendering good services to the people. Generally people are satisfied with its services. It is a heritage building in Sikkim and once it is declared as a heritage building, its architecture will be maintained in its original form”, said Achuthan to reporters after inspecting the Rangpo post office and the telephone exchange which is also in the same around 1 acre complex.
Achuthan told media that the Parliamentary committee will be in Sikkim till July 7 to take an overview of the postal and telecommunication services in the border State. The team will also be visiting the Nathu La border to take stock of the telecommunication services being enjoyed by the defense personnel and local population. The committee will be interacting with the State government to get their feedback on the status of postal and telecommunication services in Sikkim during their tour. The team is accompanied by senior officials from BSNL and Postal Services.
Rangpo is the main entry point to Sikkim and since its establishment in 1927, the post office has witnessed the history of Sikkim especially the border trade with Tibet. Sikkim, at that time, was under a monarchy and the postal services under the British ruled India had set up the post office at Rangpo.
“When it was established in 1927, lot of trade was taking place. The whole history of Sikkim can be interpreted through this post office. Once it is declared as heritage post office, tourists coming to Sikkim through Rangpo will love to visit it and take photographs. There will also be lot of development in the post office at Rangpo. We will then make a pitch for Rhenock post office once the one at Rangpo gets the heritage status”, said Mr. Rai.