As part of the ministry's ongoing follow-up to projects, Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister Essam bin Abdullah Khalaf visited the Postal Items-Sorting Building construction site in the industrial area in Hidd, which the Ministry is implementing for the advantage of the Ministry of Transportation & Communications.

The minister was accompanied by Works Affairs Undersecretary Ahmed Al Khayyat, Assistant Undersecretary for Corporate Municipal Services and the Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Construction Projects and Maintenance Raed Al Salah, Construction Projects Director Mariam Amin and several other engineers from the ministry.

The Minister stated that 76% progress has been achieved in the project so far. Work is ongoing to complete the internal and external finishing works, the general works taking place on site and the external fence, in addition to completion and hand over of the sub-power station to the Electricity and Water Authority.

According to the Minister, the Postal Isolation Building in the Khalifa Bin Salman Port in Hidd Industrial Area aims to provide services related to the reception and isolation of postal packages and the related custom procedures for the advantage of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.

The BD2,568,800 project was earlier awarded to Asiri Contracting SPC.

The government has allocated an area of 10,907 square metres for construction of the Postal Sorting Building, and the construction covers an area of 4,190 square metres. The project comprises of a two-storey building for isolation services and customs services. The ground floor includes the main hall for isolation services and a custom hall, in addition to a postal packages hall, a reception hall, a rest area for the staff, a registration hall, companies’ hall, administrative offices and stores. The first floor comprises of postal administrative offices and a conference hall. The building has been supplied with electromechanical services like central air-conditioning, elevators, a sub-power station and generator, in addition to other the related services.

The external services include the external fence, the guard’s room, a public and private entrances and a parking lot to accommodate 67 vehicles. The building has also taken into account green buildings specifications, power consumption reduction policy and preserving the environment and natural resources