Accra, Nov. 28, GNA - The lack of telephone facilities at various offices at the Ministry of Communications is hindering the smooth progress of work.

Officers at the Ministry share the same phone line with the Ministry of Harbours and Railways, so while an official from one sector is using the phone for official duties another person could easily interrupt.

The GNA chanced on an incidence where the Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Communications was using the phone to follow-up on a visit by an organization to the Minister and a colleague at the Ministry of Harbour picked the handset on the other side and said, " It is enough, let me also use the phone."

An official from the Ministry of Communications attempted to explain why the use of a single phone line by the two ministries and said that the ministry used to be "Ministry of Communications and Transportation.

According to him, when the ministries were separated the phone line was diverted to the Harbours sector but officials from the Ministry of Communications could also access the line to make and receive calls. He said that about four years ago he put in a memo requesting for a separate line to facilitate their work but till date a 200,000 cedis (GHC20) fee requested to enable the Telecom operators fixed the line had not been paid.