Cantt boards to hold open courts for redressal of grievances

Keeping in view the increasing number of complaints and issues being faced by the people in all 44 cantonment boards across the country, the competent authority has directed all the cantonment executive officers to hold an open court every Tuesday at 2 pm for immediate redressal of the problems and grievances of the people.

The authority attributed the growing number of complaints to the official engagements and meetings of the cantonment executive officers.

“The competent authority, Director General Military Lands and Cantonments (MLC) has taken notice of the increasing complaints of the people and their problems and then their immediate remedy and the reason for not solving these problems and difficulties is the official engagements and meetings of the executive officers in each Cantonment Board due to which they are unable to give time to the people,” a letter issued by the office of the Additional Director General MLC Headquarters, Khurshid Ali Khan, read.

“Therefore, instructions are issued by the competent authority that the cantonment executive officer should conduct an open court in every Cantonment Board on Monday at 2 pm to ensure immediate redressal of the complaints and problems of the citizens,” it added.

In this context, the letter said that it will be necessary that if the open court cannot be held on Tuesday under any circumstances, then it should be held on Wednesday and the minutes and report is submitted to the DG MLC on Wednesday at 10 am.

It also directed that a video should be recorded in the open court, the monitoring of which will be done by the director admin and his team directly via Zoom link.

It has been further instructed that the series of the open court should be continued without any break so that the problems and difficulties of the citizens living in the cantt areas can be resolved without any delay.

However, if the open court has to be postponed in extremely unavoidable circumstances, it will not be possible without the approval of the Regional Headquarters and without bringing it to the notice of the MLC Headquarters.

It should be noted that earlier in 2021, open courts were started by the cantonment executive officers in all the cantonment boards, but they were filled with complaints from the public, pointing out the bad governance of the Cantonment and corruption and corrupt practices, opening up Pandora's box of serious allegations, at which the practice was halted after holding only a couple of open courts.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 12^th, 2023.