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STATES URGED TO STRENGTHEN CONSUMER COURTS

State governments should strengthen the consumer redressal mechanism in their areas to provide speedy justice to consumers, said Shri V. Sreenivasa Prasad, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.Addressing a conference of the presidents , State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and secretaries in charge of Consumer Affairs in states and union territories here today, the minister urged the State governments to fully utilise the grants available to them from the central government for this purpose. During the period from 1995-99, the central government had provided an assistance of Rs. 62 crore to states to supplement their efforts to improve the infrastructure facilities of consumer forums in states and union territories of which only 60 per cent had been utilised so far. The minister pointed out that presiding officers of consumer forums had an important role to play in the speedy disposal of consumer cases and promoting consumer interests. This could be achieved by disallowing adjournments on minor grounds and strict monitoring of issue of notices . He expressed concern that the redressal agencies have not been able to be as effective as they should be in the implementation of their orders despite achieving 81 per cent disposal rate.The minister asked the states to fill up the existing vacancies in the state level consumer forums as well as maintaining a panel of suitable candidates who could be appointed as and when the need arose.

In his introductoty remarks, Jusice Shri D.P. Wadhwa, president,National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission,said that the consumer forum was required to follow the principles of natural justice and should not be bound by strict rules of procedure as in the Code of Civil Procedure enabling it to decide the cases faster besides making it consumer friendly. Consumer courts, Justice Wadhwa added, had a great role to play in the development of consumer laws in the country. Any study of consumer law would require a policy to acknowledge the inter relationship among different branches of law; he said.There has been good progress in the disposal of cases in the consumer forums. In the last year, the increase in the State Commission has been at 17.79 per cent while that in the national Commission was at 145.48 per cent; he observed.

Justice Shri B. N. Kirpal,in his inaugural address cautioned that the three- tier structure of consumer redressal mechanism does not lead to the proverbial law’s delays. He suggested a system of referring consumer cases relating to states or undertakings under the state governments to Lok Adalats also for securing speedy disposal of cases.

Shri S. Bandopadhyay, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs informed the conference that since inception 18 lakh cases have been filed in consumer forums, out of which 81 per cent has been disposed of. He expressed the hope that the deliberations of the conference would help promote consumer movement in the country. The two-day conference is being organised by the Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.