Bahawalpur open court receives 328 complaints as CM Cell orders swift action

• Saima Farooq oversees Khuli Katcheri on CM Maryam Nawaz’s directives

• Revenue, police, health and education issues dominate public complaints

• Commissioner, DC and DPO attend public hearing to ensure follow-up

 LAHORE: Acting on the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, a team of the Chief Minister’s Complaints Cell visited Bahawalpur on Thursday and held an open court (Khuli Katcheri), where hundreds of citizens brought forward their grievances for immediate redressal.

Chairperson of the Chief Minister’s Complaints Cell, Saima Farooq, personally heard complaints from members of the public and issued on-the-spot directives to the relevant authorities for their prompt resolution. The complaints mainly related to the Revenue Department, Police, Health, Education, Sanitation and Sewerage services.

Addressing the participants, Saima Farooq said the initiative reflected Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s vision of ensuring timely public relief and responsive governance at the grassroots level.

She said all applications received during the open court would be continuously monitored and followed up until their resolution, adding that the authorities would remain actively engaged until citizens’ issues were addressed. She described open courts as an effective mechanism for the swift and transparent resolution of public grievances.

The open court was held at Ghotoi Hall, Abbasia Campus of The Islamia University of Bahawalpur.

A total of 328 applications were received by the Chief Minister’s Complaints Cell during the proceedings. Of these, more than 90 were related to the Revenue Department, while approximately 250 pertained to various other government departments.

Bahawalpur Commissioner Irfan Ali Kathia, Deputy Commissioner Syed Hassan Raza, District Police Officer (DPO) and other relevant officials attended the event. Directions were issued to the concerned departments for immediate action on all complaints received during the open court.

Saima Farooq reiterated that negligence in addressing public complaints would not be tolerated and that genuine grievances would receive due attention. She said regular monitoring of applications would help ensure tangible relief for citizens.

Commissioner Irfan Ali Kathia assured participants that all applications would be processed in a transparent manner, while Deputy Commissioner Syed Hassan Raza said specific timelines had been assigned to officers for resolving complaints submitted during the open court.

The Chief Minister’s Complaints Cell open court concluded with practical measures aimed at ensuring the speedy resolution of citizens’ issues and strengthening public confidence in service delivery mechanisms.