KARACHI, May 20: Sindh Ombudsman Yousuf Jamal has said the ombudsman is a small institution in the entire administrative setup to curb and combat maladministration and mitigate complaints of people, yet in its short life of 15 years it has played important role in redressing complaints of individuals by providing them speedy justice.

However, he said, there were some major problems which could only be solved with the joint efforts of other stake-holders.

The ombudsman, who was speaking at a seminar organized on the eve of a soft inauguration of its three new regional offices in a local hotel on Saturday, highlighted the role of ombudsman in fostering the cause of good governance.

He pointed out that 80 per cent population in Sindh lived in rural areas and most of their complaints were related to irrigation water supply and poverty issues. He said these issues could be resolved one by one in an organized manner.

He said besides dispensation of administrative justice on an inexpensive and fast track at the doorsteps of complainants, the institution was also conducting studies and seminars to ascertain the root-causes of corrupt practices and injustices. He said marginally literate people in the tribal and rural areas were glued to the centuries-old customs. He said for elimination of gender discrimination and karo kari menace there was a need for creating awareness among the masses. He said the institution had already organized many seminars on karo kari, gender discrimination and child labour in different districts to create awareness. He said more seminars and workshops on these issues would be organized.

He advised the non-governmental organizations not to limit their activities to Karachi but reach the far flung areas like Obaro, Mirpur Mathelo and others where people needed their support.

Mr Jamal referred to the plan about ombudsman mobile van so that the complaints of those who did not have access to his offices could be collected, processed and redressed.

Chief Minister’s Adviser Fatima Surriya Bajia, who was the chief guest on the occasion, stressed the need of self-accountability and took pledge from the audience in this regard saying that one could be the best judge of his deeds.

The director of ‘Access to Justice Programme’, sponsored by the Asian Development Bank, M. Afzal Kahute, recalled the brief history of the ombudsman institution.

Nargis Rehman, a representative of the civil society, said the ombudsman institution was extremely valuable in dispensation of justice to people by redressing complaints in many cases of water supply, electricity and sewerage issues. She said the growing complaints about water shortage and power outages in every locality of this mega city called for immediate attention of the ombudsman.The ombudsman solved the problem of six school teachers, who were not paid their salaries for years, she said and stressed that there were some other serious issues as well faced by teachers particularly the provident fund which they could not draw without greasing the palms of some officials concerned.

Earlier, Secretary Ashfaque Ahmad Memon welcomed the guests.