KARACHI, July 25: Sindh Ombudsman Yousuf Jamal has stressed the need to create awareness regarding administrative justice among the people, so that they could be facilitated in approaching various state institution and getting relief without any hassle.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Jamal said that for want of awareness regarding the institution of the Ombudsman, most of the people were not fully utilizing it as a source of providing inexpensive justice.

He said an electronic and print media campaign was being launched to create awareness among the people about the institution. He said that on the basis of a study on the Greek Ombudsman system, the institution was being restructured to streamline administrative justice for providing timely relief to the people.

According to the study, the Greek Ombudsman is appointed by parliament and enjoys operational and personal independence, specified by the constitution. The ombudsman's role is mediatory, and he tries to cultivate a relationship based on cooperation and aims at restoring citizen's lost confidence in the state institutions.

The ombudsman may set deadlines by which the government must adopt his proposals. He said on the instruction of Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad a detailed report on the revamping of the institution was being prepared, which would be presented before the governor and other government high-ups.

He expressed the hope that the institution would play a proactive role in checking administrative inefficiency, negligence and corruption. To a question, he said that in addition to the existing ombudsman offices at Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur and Larkana, steps were being taken to establish three more regional offices at Dadu, Nawabshah and Mitthi, to provide the people an easy access to justice.

Likewise, he said, to facilitate the people in Karachi, two more ombudsman offices were being planned at two former districts, central and west, so that the people could be saved from covering long distances for filing their applications at the Ombudsman Secretariat at Sharae Attaturk.