LAHORE, Jan 26: Punjab Ombudsman Abdur Rashid Khan has said that a comprehensive strategy has been evolved for shortening the maximum period of investigation of complaints from six months to four months by December.

Disclosing this here on Thursday, the ombudsman said that apart from the office of the Ombudsman head office in Lahore, and Multan regional office another regional office was being opened in Rawalpindi for reducing the workload on the existing offices. The office would become operational within a month to register complaints of the people of adjoining areas.

He said that complaints could be filed with the ombudsman head office, registrar’s office or Multan regional office on plain paper along with an affidavit and a copy of computerized national identity card personally or by E-mail.

Only the aggrieved persons or legal heirs of deceased persons could file complaints. He said the law permitted representation of complainants by others provided they had a written authorization for the purpose.

Complainants, he said, were not required to be present on each date of hearing. They were, however, required to be present at joint hearings for which notices were issued.

He said that no fee was charged for filing complaints with the ombudsman or their investigations. There were no charges for copy of the ombudsman’s findings/recommendations either. Expenses were incurred only when complainants were called for joint hearings. The ombudsman was assisted in investigations of complaints by a number of persons but he considered, approved and signed all the findings himself.

The ombudsman could entertain complaints against maladministration of agencies, departments, commissions, statutory corporations and other institutions controlled by the provincial government.

Maladministration, included decisions, acts of omission or commission which were contrary to law, rules or regulations with departure from established procedures or perverse, arbitrary, unreasonable, unjust, biased, oppressive, discriminatory, failure or refusal to exercise powers for corrupt or improper motives such as bribery, robbery, favouritism, nepotism, administrative excesses, neglect or inattention, delay, incompetence, inefficiency, and ineptitude in administration or discharge of duties.

All complaints were required to be filed within three months from the date the aggrieved persons noticed the cause of grievance. He said the ombudsman could condone the delay in filing of a complaint under special circumstances if it was justified.

He said that government servants could also approach the ombudsman for redressal of their grievances against their own or other departments except those related to service matters.

Processes of recruitment and recommendation could also be challenged in case these involved maladministration. Appeals and representations against decisions or orders of the ombudsman could be filed with the governor within 30 days.

Mr Khan said the ombudsman was not only empowered to provide relief to the aggrieved persons but could also award reasonable compensation to the respondent agency or department or public servant where he found the complaints frivolous and vexatious. The amount of compensation was recovered from the complainant as land revenue arrears.