Postal Property to be Reclaimed, Revised Law Ready by November: Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb
The interim government is set to embark on a nationwide drive to reclaim encroached properties of the postal department and finalize amendments to the Post and Courier Act by mid-November.
Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser in charge of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology, made the announcement at the inaugural ceremony marking World Post Day on Thursday, October 9, held at the postal department’s conference room in Agargaon, Dhaka.
In his keynote address, Taiyeb said, “Since assuming responsibility, we have prepared a comprehensive list of the postal department’s total assets, including encroached properties. Soon, in coordination with the divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners, we will launch a recovery drive to reclaim the department’s occupied properties.”
He further stated, “The current structure of Address Management is not compatible with the digital economy. Therefore, we are working to digitalize the system by incorporating the expertise of private courier services. The new framework will integrate area codes, street codes, and house codes, along with geofencing of addresses. Since address management involves safeguarding personal data, we are addressing this issue through the updated Post and Courier Act. We expect to present the revised law to the Cabinet by November.”
The Special Assistant also mentioned that under the current mail and parcel tracking system, “only 50 to 60 percent of consignments can be tracked.” He added, “We have begun improving the tracking software to make it fully reliable, which will raise the tracking capability close to 100 percent. The postal department is also being integrated with the e-commerce sector so that both urban and rural citizens can access the same services. At the same time, efforts are underway to restore public trust in e-commerce.”
At the end of his speech, Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb unveiled a commemorative postage stamp marking World Post Day.
The event was chaired by Abdun Naser Khan, Secretary of the Posts and Telecommunications Division. Also present were Shish Hayder Chowdhury, Secretary of the ICT Division, SM Shahabuddin, Director General of the Postal Department, and senior officials from both the ministry and the divisions.
According to the postal department, the concluding ceremony of the World Post Day celebration will take place on September 10. The morning session will feature art and quiz competitions for students, followed by an award-giving ceremony in the afternoon. Syeda Rizwan Hasan, Adviser in charge of the Ministries of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Water Resources, will attend as the chief guest.
