LAHORE, July 13: "Open kutcheries", or courts, started at the Muslim League House only a few months after Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi became the Punjab chief minister, have failed to serve the purpose they were launched for and the aggrieved people, disenchanted by their working, have stopped knocking at the door where they once expected they would have all their complaints redressed through a one-window operation.
It was on March 29 last year that on a directive from the chief minister, Mr Arshad Khan Lodhi, minister for agriculture, issued a letter to all ministers setting dates on which they would hold open courts.
A minister, on the day set for him, was supposed to remain in the Muslim League House from 11am to 3pm. In case of any pressing engagement, he was allowed to interchange his schedule with some colleague.
The minister holding the court was supposed to listen to all complaints, no matter against which department or authority. The system worked for some months and people facing various problems came to these courts in large numbers.
The ministers issued orders on applications which were implemented in some cases and ignored in others. Those who could not have their complaints redressed got disappointed and decided not to waste their own time as well as of the 'courts'. It is said that powerlessness of ministers was the major cause for their disenchantment.
Thus, a system launched with good intentions, and which should have remained functional, has become totally ineffective. Courts are not being held regularly and not many people come to the Muslim League House any more. Only a few ministers held courts during the past few months.
If the press releases issued at the end of a kutchery be made the yardstick, the ministers who heard complaints were hardly of any help to the aggrieved parties. However, according to a statement attributed to Mr Lodhi on April 17, 1,000 complaints were received since the open courts started working and orders were issued to redress them all.
The minister claimed that no genuine complaint remained unattended. Record shows that instead of doing something to help the aggrieved people, the ministers used the platform mainly to issue press statements concerning their departments.
For example, Zakat and Ushr Minister Khadim Wattoo said while addressing the kutchery on May 21 last year that Zakat be distributed in a fair manner. On April 30, Culture Minister Shaukat Bhatti gave the good news that the next year's budget would be worker-friendly.
A statement issued on his behalf after the kutchery said that Mr Bhatti also praised the Punjab chief minister for his policies. He alleged that undeserving people were given jobs by previous governments and the present government would not follow this unenviable tradition.
Health Minister Naeemullah Shahani, who held the court on April 29 last year, said that admission quota on a sport basis would soon be restored. Colonies Minister Manazir Ali Ranjha said on Sept 10 last year that distribution of state lands among the landless would start on Oct 20.
He said that the entire record of the revenue department would be computerized after which 'patwaris' would not be in a position to extort money. A day later, another minister Sibtain Khan told the participants in the kutchery that a steel mill would be set up in Chiniot and many multinationals were approaching the government with investment offers.
Labour minister Akhtar Husain Rizvi said on Nov 5 last year that corruption at the top level had been eradicated and the government had introduced a system of checks and balances.
Food Minister Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal said only a week ago that price control committees were being made more effective. He also gave figures for wheat procurement made by the government.
These statements and similar others made by various ministers when they acted as 'judges' in the Muslim League House are sufficient to establish that they have nothing to do with problems people had brought to them.
No applicant had turned up to know what a particular minister had done or was planning to do for his department. He was interested only in the solution his problem by any means.
People with requests for jobs or financial help had to face disappointment at these courts. Some say that the situation would not improve unless the ministers were given powers to order appointments or had funds at their disposal to help the poor. Also, they say, there should be some mechanism evolved to take action against officials who fail to obey the orders issued by a minister holding the court.
PML VERSION: Party's provincial vice-president Mian Abdus Sattar said in a statement on Tuesday that the Punjab chief minister was actively working to solve problems of the people and his team of ministers and party leaders was working shoulder to shoulder with him.
He said the open courts stood suspended for some time because of the growing engagements of the leaders. However, he said he personally heard workers' problems for three to four hours a day. Ministers, he said, were also extending cooperation and visiting various parts of the province.
For the solution of problems of people from Lahore, the PML leader said, Senator Kamil Ali Agha, provincial ministers Arshad Khan Lodhi and Nasim Lodhi, party's Lahore president Akhtar Rasool, adviser Chaudhry Muhammad Siddique were always available in the Muslim League House and were in direct contact with workers.
The statement said that resumption of the open courts was under consideration at present. A formula was being worked out so that courts were held regularly and official engagements of ministers also remained unaffected.
