Pakistan Post Offices to collect utility bills

Minister for Communication Shahmim Siddique on Tuesday said another 10,000 post offices throughout the country are likely to collect utility bills’ dues. Speaking in a PTV programme, he said negotiation in this regards are in progress which would hopefully be finalised soon. He said presently about 2500 post offices across the country are offering such a facility to the people. The minister said it is also under consideration to facilitate passport office in issuing passport.

He explained that the post offices’ duty will be to collect data from the person who wanted to acquire a passport and then send it to the passport office for further action. To a question he said the ministry has also offered such a facility to Nadra.

Besides, these facilities, he said about 250 post offices are also offering services to overseas Pakistanis to send their remittances within ten minutes to their relatives.

Post offices also are offering life insurance and commercial banks facilities in remote areas, he added.

Replying to a question he said, the present government is focusing to further improve post offices services.

About 200 motorcycles have also been supplied to workers to make sure fast delivery of precious items to people, he added.

The minister said UNDP assistance has been sought out on the directives of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to make post offices more efficient.

Shahmim Siddique said post office workers have also been imparted advance training in its own staff college.

To a question he said Gawdar deep-sea port will be linked with all the roads of the country.

He said Makran coastal highway, Indus highway and GT road will be linked with the Gawdar port to link it with Afghanistan, central Asian states and China.

To a question he said the whole network of the roads in the country will be completed by the end of 2007.