A lot has, during the last one year, appeared from educated people pointing out that most of the government departments' web sites are not updated, provide old information, do not have an on-line web reply system and, where they have an email system, no reply comes from them etc.
For example one such web site had only recently removed the name of its ex-head from the web site as head of organisation, whereas he had retired about two years back. One web site, till December 2005, was very proudly telling the readers "this web site was last updated in 2001".
The PTCL web site is giving two different names of the same General Manager.
One may differ with the political theory of a senior journalist but it is a fact his columns speak of his age-old wisdom. Last year, commenting on our system, generally, he said that the West today in minutes gave a response to the common man on the internet, whereas in our case we have destroyed the shape of our new technology.
At huge national expense we are introducing new web sites with a claim that it will bring efficiency and will bring a change in the working attitude of the bureaucracy.
These circles forget it is not the technology rather it is the man who operates technology, who matters. Where having paid the pension of June and July, the system demands proof that the concerned pensioner was alive in May what real benefit can the web sites bring to this unfortunate nation.
A beautiful Banking Mohtasib web site has been established which has Email for addressing the Banking Mohtasib. But in this modern age one cannot file a complaint on-line through this official email.
The reason being that the Banking Mohtasib system wants the Complaint Form, available on the website to be filled in, signed by the complainant and attached with his written complaint.
Is this complaint form really necessary and what is this form? This complaint form contains names and addresses both of complainant and that of the Bank concerned, including Bank Account number, nature/point of complaint etc, which is contained in a written or text-message-emailed-complaint. So what is the special significance of this form, which is merely a sort of duplication of complaint?
The only additional thing in the complaint form is the complainant stating if he had filed this complaint before, or the case had been in any court.
It is natural in case of common account holders or citizens that most complaints are against non-issue of cheque books, non-receipt of six-monthly statement, late credit etc and such account holders cannot even think of going to the courts on such matters.
Hence asking from them such things can conveniently be avoided. After registration and acceptance of a complaint such information separately can be asked for if really needed.
And this was perhaps the logic that the first Ombudsman Sardar Mohammed Iqbal, who as per a recent column is still unmatched for, on his Secretariat complaint form "A" mentioned that in case full details about complaint have been mentioned in the written complaint then there is no need of attaching Form "A".
If a complaint or a communication through email to any department is not formally entertainable then for what other purpose the said department creates a costly email system?
Similar online complaints filing systems are available with other departments like Punjab Government, Sindh Governor, PTA, Punjab Ombudsman etc and they do not ask separately to send a written signed form. From 1983 to 2000 I do not remember even once eg Federal or Sindh Ombudsmen ever not accepting my complaint without their complaint forms attached.
One of our bank on huge expense of account holders has introduced on-line banking. On-line forms have been provided which a person on-line fills up and on-line submits. Hold your breath.
After one has submitted his form on line and the system thanks the applicant, at the same time an instruction appears on the screen that a print out of the on-line submitted form may be preserved and brought to the bank personally. What a non-sense. On-line Submission and then personally to visit the Bank with copy of the same.