LAHORE, Jan 31: The Punjab ombudsman received as many as 9,392 complaints against various government departments in 2003, most of which targeted the police and education departments and district governments.

Punjab Ombudsman Sajjad Ahmed Sipra submitted the annual report to the Punjab governor on Saturday.

The institution disposed of 13,192 complaints, including a backlog of 3,800 complaints from 2002. Out of 9,392 complaints filed in 2003, 6,843 were disposed of on merit and the remaining in limini for not being legally maintainable.

The report said that some 187 children of deceased government servants got employment under Section 17(A) of the Punjab Servants Rules 1974 and 123 were given jobs in various departments under the disabled quota.

Some 144 were reinstated in service and 200 cases of pension of widows finalised. There was suo moto cognizance in 10 cases under Section 9 of the Ombudsman Act 1997.

Seventy per cent of representations against the orders of ombudsman were decided by the governor. The orders of ombudsman were upheld in 53 cases, set aside in 12, modified in three and amended in two cases.

On the recommendation of ombudsman, the provincial government improved some of its policies, by amending Rule 17(A) of the Punjab Civil Servants Rules 1974 for example. The education department reserved a two per cent quota for disabled persons.

On ombudsman' recommendation, the government allowed postings against 290 vacancies in the special education sector.

The ombudsman also stressed the need for amendment to the recruitment rules. He observed that after devolution, employees in BS-1 to 15 were grouped together and the requisite posts deleted from the strength of the old departments and added to the general cadre of district governments. The local government departments, regulations' wing of the S&GAD and the finance department should join hands and make necessary amendments to the existing rules to avoid complications in future, he observed.