A coffee dispenser to pour a steaming cup from, seats to lounge in and books and free Wi-Fi to browse while awaiting postal services. The Jadavpur University (JU) post office was reopened with a new look on Monday.

The renovation and upgrade have been done under the department of post’s flagship N-GEN (Next Generation) initiative, which is making post offices technology-enabled and digitally empowered.

JU vice-chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee, who did the inauguration, commended India Post for its wide and deep reach across the country and for including banking and other financial services in its bouquet of offerings, besides facilitating communication.

“Our students and also a few from the Bengali department pitched in to decorate the post office,” said the head of JU’s architecture department, Jayita Guha Neogi.

“You can relax and chat while coming for work at the post office. We have included trees in the artwork and a grass carpet to convey a message of sustainability,” added her colleague Mainak Ghosh, who guided the students.

Chief postmaster-general, West Bengal circle, Ashok Kumar said by creating a new-age service environment, the effort was to bridge the gap with the expectations of the next generation.

“A well-decorated post office with free Wi-Fi and computer support will attract them to the post office. They can have coffee, enjoy the ambience, take printouts and book other services. It will increase footfall and our revenue,” he said.

QR code-based payment has started. Students will be offered a 10 per cent discount on parcel and speed post booking, a facility being offered at other post offices too, he
added.

“This is a bid to make the post office more relevant and look like the kind of place which the next generation will identify with. This is the second such initiative in the city after one at Calcutta University which was opened on December 24,” said postmaster general, mail and business development, Supriyo Ghosh.

The post office at IIT Kharagpur is the next in line.

The launch was also attended by south Bengal postmaster-general Riju Ganguly and General Post Office director Hammad Zafar along with the students who contributed artwork.