ISLAMABAD, Oct 4: Federal Minister for Communications Mohammad Shamim Siddiqui has asked all the heads of attached departments of the ministry to strive hard to achieve their targets within the scheduled time.

The minister was presiding over a meeting of the heads of attached department of the communications ministry here on Monday. On the occasion, the minister was briefed about various ongoing and upcoming projects of National Highway Authority (NHA), Pakistan Post Office (PPO), National Highways and Motorway Police (NH&MP), and the Construction Machinery Training Institute (CMTI).

Mr Siddiqui, appreciating the achievements of these departments, said there was still room for improvement in their performance. The minister said development projects such as Karachi Northern Bypass, Lyari Expressway, Torkham-Jalalabad Highway and Makran Coastal Highway were being given importance by the government.

"All these projects, once completed, will play a significant role in regional trade activities," Mr Siddiqui said. The minister further said that steps were being taken for resettlement of those affected by the Lyari Expressway with the cooperation of the Sindh government.

About the Pakistan Post Office, the minister pointed out that there was much room available to further improve the department's performance. The minister was informed that the PPO was providing money transfer service from 196 countries to Pakistan within minutes.

He was told that steps were underway to provide better Postal Life Insurance and other facilities. "We need to provide speedy and reliable postal facilities to the people," the minister said.

Mr Siddiqui stressed the need to formulate a coherent transport policy. This will greatly help to finalize a comprehensive national transport policy, he added. The minister appreciated the performance of the NH&MP and said its network needed expansion throughout the country.

After being briefed on the working of Construction Machinery Training Institute, the minister said such institutions should be set up in other provinces of the country as well to produce more technical manpower. At present, the CMTI is providing technical training to over 800 students annually.