(i) to receive complaints from any person relating to the provision of municipal services;
(ii) to consider the complaints as aforesaid and to facilitate their settlement or satisfaction by agreement through conciliation and mediation between the municipality and the aggrieved person by passing an award in this behalf;
(iii) To look into complaints of corruption of officials and Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Chairperson or Vice-chairperson and councilors, and
(iv) to resolve, by way of arbitration, such disputes between municipalities or between a municipality and its citizens as may be agreed upon by the contesting parties in accordance with the provisions of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (Act No. 25 of 1996).
65. Territorial jurisdiction:
(1) The State Government shall specify the territorial limits to which the authority of a Municipal Ombudsman shall extend.
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(2) (a) The office of the Municipal Ombudsman shall be located at such place as may be specified by the State Government,
(b) A Municipal Ombudsman may, for expeditious disposal of complaints or conduct of arbitral proceedings, hold sittings at such places within the area of his jurisdiction, as he may consider necessary.
66. Qualifications, remuneration and office:
(1) A Municipal Ombudsman shall be a person of repute and shall have experience in civil services or public or municipal administration or management, and if such person is a civil servant, he shall be not below the rank of a Secretary to the State Government or a District Judge having jurisdiction within the State.
(2) The remuneration and other perquisites payable to a Municipal Ombudsman shall be such as may be determined by the State Government, from time to time.
(3) A Municipal Ombudsman shall be provided with an office with necessary complement of officers and other staff.
(4) A Municipal Ombudsman shall exercise general powers of superintendence and control over his office and shall be responsible for the conduct of business thereof.
(5) A Municipal Ombudsman shall prepare an annual budget for his office in consultation with the State Government and shall have the power to incur expenditure for his office from the allotment provided in the budget.
67. Review authority: The aggrieved party may appeal in the High Court against the an order pronounced by Municipal Ombudsman.
68. Publicity: The State Government and the municipality shall give adequate publicity to the appointment of a Municipal Ombudsman under this Act for information of the public.