Following the orders of the Ombudsman Punjab, a primary school teacher has been paid his salary of 33 months after 13 years as he became invalid due to paralysis and kept on visiting office to office and submitting his rejoinders. Provincial Ombudsman Punjab has also directed Secretary Education to take disciplinary action against the officials concerned responsible for an abnormal delay in the payment and submit a report to his office by March 31, 2012.
According to details ,Sardar Ali, resident of Tehsil Dipalpur district Okara, lodged a complaint to Ombudsman Punjab that he was recruited as primary school teacher in Government Boys Primary School, village Ladhuka, Tehsil Depalpur District Okara in 1977 and dismissed from services in 1999.
He prayed that his pay for the period from February 1997 to October 1999 had not been released by the District Accounts Office Okara although he had obtained order from the Honourable Lahore High Court in his favour. The complainant contended that he was told by the officials in District Accounts Okara that unless he was willing to part with arrears in their favour, his bill would not be passed, but he refused to do so. He kept on visiting office to office and submitting his rejoinders and in the meantime, became invalid due to paralysis. During the course of inquiry in Ombudsman Office, the Education Department shifted the responsibility to Finance Department for budgetary provisions and Law Department arguing that the case was time barred and required legal opinion. After the intervention of Consultant Ombudsman Punjab Wazir Ahmad Qureshi, the Education Department finally had to pay the salary arrears of 33 months to the Sardar Ali, primary school teacher. Khalid Mehmood, Ombudsman Punjab, in his order has pointed out that the extent of indifference and lack of concern demonstrated by various departments in handling the case of an invalid school teacher is not only shocking but shameful.
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