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PESHAWAR, Jun 12 (APP):Provincial Ombudsman, Syed Jamal Ud Din Shah while chairing the monthly review meeting of the secretariat said that administrative accountability and measures for the prevention of abuse of authority are vital for maintaining good governance.
He said that it is the constitutional right of every citizen to file complaints against the misuse of power and authority by any government department. He said that the Ombudsman Secretariat, since its inception has followed the steps to further enhance efficiency and to produce qualitative results for the satisfaction of complainants.
He advised the investigative officers and senior advisors of the secretariat to ensure inexpensive and expeditious administrative justice for the complainants enabling them to get their grievances resolved within a specific period as per the Ombudsman Act.
The assistant director (IT) presented a detailed presentation as per the agenda for discussion. The meeting was informed that during the last Month of May, the Ombudsman Secretariat has seen a significant increase in the number of complaints.
The increase is due to the effective role played by the regional offices as well as the effective awareness campaign launched by the media cell. It was also pointed out that in the second phase, an awareness campaign will take place in Mansehra, Batgram, Haripur and Swabi districts as well.
The ombudsman directed all investigative officers they focus on disposing of their cases well in time and that cases already pending in different courts should not be entertained being court cases as out of the ombudsman domain as per the Ombudsman Act.
it was informed that on many occasions complainants lodge their complaints simultaneously before the Ombudsman Secretariat as well as in the lower courts or high courts ignoring the fact that they are not eligible to file their complaints in the Ombudsman Secretariat if they have already filed similar cases in the the lower and high courts respectively.
The Ombudsman also eulogized the role of the Provincial Chief Secretary for playing an effective role in implementing the ombudsman cases in all government departments and also for nominating focal persons in every department for proper follow-up of cases and their effective implementation.
In the concluding remarks, the Provincial Ombudsman stressed that the dealing officers to adopt proper procedures for handling the complaints which will further streamline the handling process. He also appreciated the role of the implementation wing of the secretariat for their quick disposal of cases and successful implementation at the government departmental level.