LAHORE: Ombudsman Maj Azam Suleman Khan (retd) has directed the regional advisors and consultants of 36 districts in the province to enhance their performance and ensure early disposal of pending cases of 9 to 12 months for providing timely relief to the complainants.

While presiding over the monthly meeting at his office, the provincial ombudsman further directed to deal with the complaints of expatriate Pakistanis on a priority basis. The meeting reviewed the progress made on cases, as well as the performance of the regional offices, from January 01 to March 18.

The office of the Ombudsman Punjab was an important platform to redress public complaints, ensure the protection of rights of the children, and eliminate maladministration; he noted and underlined the need to sensitize the general public about the availability of an institutional mechanism for eking out free and prompt relief. Funds have been released for the construction of regional offices in Muzaffargarh, Mianwali, Jhang, Attock, and Dera Ghazi Khan, he mentioned.

The ombudsman noted that the departmental helpline 1050 has been digitized to receive complaints 24/7 while the plaintiffs could also lodge their complaints through the official website and mobile application. It is sanguine that the complainants could track the progress of their cases through the mobile app; he added and remarked that the redressal of the complaints in the respective tehsils has further facilitated the hapless complainants.

The advisors and consultants should proactively perform their role in the improvement of service delivery by timely resolving the issues faced by the common man, concluded the ombudsman.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022