Finance dept to appoint regional ombudsmen

By Noshad Ali

LAHORE: The Punjab Finance Department is likely to appoint regional ombudsmen, as in Sindh, rather than appointing 34 district ombudsmen because of a lack of funds, sources told Daily Times on Friday.

The sources said that six to eight regional ombudsmen would be appointed in the province and each ombudsman would handle five to six districts. They said that the regions would be set up on the pattern of the eight police ranges that existed before the implementation of the local government ordinance.

The sources said that donor agencies had pressured the federal government to appoint an ombudsman in each district to assure the accountability of district governments.

The federal government directed the provinces to appoint one ombudsman in each district but the Finance Department refused the proposal arguing, that it could not afford 34 ombudsmen, the sources added.

They said that now the Punjab government would appoint only six to eight ombudsmen for its 34 districts.

Home | National