Ombudsman launches integrated CMIS

Islamabad : Federal Ombudsman Syed Tahir Shahbaz has inaugurated an integrated Complaint Management System in Federal Government departments and agencies to redress public complaints.

The Ombudsman Secretariat has already established an Instant Complaints Resolution Mechanism (CMIS) under which every Agency/depar-tment has nominated a focal person designated as Grievance Liaison Officer for entertaining and resolving complaints relating to his department within 30 days. Under this mechanism 118 federal agencies were integrated to resolve complaints in a minimum possible time.

The portals of these agencies have been connected with that of Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat and are regularly monitored. During an analysis of complaints pending on with the agencies, the Ombudsman Secretariat, observed that the departments had failed to resolve the complaints even after 30 days. In order to redress this issue, the Ombudsman Secretariat decided to shift complaints unresolved after 30 days to the portal of Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat treating them as fresh complaints for investigation.

This system has previously been functioning with the Post Office department, but now has been extended to 19 other agencies including FIA, Islamabad Police, Ministry of Housing and Ministry of Federal Education, Electric supply companies, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines, Sui Southern Gas Pipelines and Wapda.

It was also observed that most of the agencies are not utilizing the Complaint Resolution Mechanism to its full potential and have also linked it in a different format. In order to properly equip these federal agencies, training is being provided to the officers of these agencies to upgrade their skills.

The Wafaqi Mohtasib has formally launched the Integrated Complaints Resolution System and a training session to handle this system by the concerned agencies was also been launched.

Addressing the representatives of the agencies, the Wafaqi Mohtasib said that it was collective responsibility of all to address maladministration, increase efficiency and bring transparency in the operation of the government machinery.

He also appreciated the federal agencies for willingly participating in the newly introduced integrated system saying it was the foremost duty of a government functionary to serve the public and satisfy the citizens. He said that delay in resolving issues leads to corruption, therefore, every agency has to establish in-house accountability system to condone delay.