SUKKUR, Feb 15: Provincial Ombudsman Haziqul Khairi has opposed the National Reconstruction Bureau proposal of appointing district ombudsmen under the local government plan on the plea that instead of resolving the local problems district ombudsmen would become yes men of district Nazims.

He is of the view that instead more regional offices of the provincial ombudsman should be opened to enable the people get quick justice and relief.

Talking to newsmen at circuit house, here on Friday, Mr Khairi claimed to have done a commendable job and save billions of public money and government land from plunder during the last decade.

He disclosed that 90 per cent mosques in Karachi were built on illegal/encroached lands which was also against Islam.

He mentioned one such mosque on the adjacent plot of which the area Nazim had started illegal construction.

The ombudsman stayed it but the Nazim carried on the construction. The Nazim was summoned to the ombudsman and had to beg apology.

Another UC Nazim of Sadar, Karachi, had started building 300 shops at Jahangir Park which the ombudsman visited and noticing its illegality stopped the construction.

The Provincial Ombudsman said that Karachi’s Sabzi Mandi was shifted on his initiative. “Today we have the biggest Sabzi Mandi of Asia on 98 acres, even bigger than that of New Delhi”, he proudly added.

He deplored that the massive complaints were received by him against housing and town planning departments and quoted the example of Lyari Development Authority which had whisked away Rs700 million of plot applicants.

A deputy commissioner informed him that the land in question had been encroached and Karachi Development Authority told him that the applicants were given alternate plots in Hawkes Bay Scheme.

This was in gross violation of legal conduct, the provincial ombudsman said and underlined the need for public awakening against wrong doings.

He said that the proposed district ombudsmen would work under district Nazims and people could go for appeal against their verdict to provincial minister.

He said that this was highly objectionable as the district ombudsmen would fail to deliver justice to aggrieved and added that he had recommended to the Sindh governor to avoid this exercise.

Instead regional offices of the ombudsman could be opened to deal with the working of public departments and district governments, he added.

He said that he had selected premises for the regional office of Larkana.

He said that maximum time taken for disposal of cases by him was six to 24 months and his verdict was not challengeable even in Supreme Court.