ADDITIONAL BENCH OF NCDRC INAUGURATED
An Additional Bench
of National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), the
apex body of consumer forum was inaugurated at a function held
here today by Shri Sharad Yadav, Minister of Consumer Affairs,
Food and Public Distribution. Under the Consumer Protection Act
a 3-tier quasi-judicial machinery has been created to provide
speedy, simple and inexpensive redressal to consumer disputes
comprising a National Commission, 35 State Commissions and 571
districts forums.
Inaugurating the
additional Bench of NCDRC, Shri Yadav said that strengthening
the consumer court would result in the strengthening of democracy
itself. Consumer awareness has picked up momentum considerably
since the enactment of Consumer Protection Act in 1986 as evident
from the ever-increasing number of cases being filed in the consumer
courts. Out of a total of 20,83,222 cases filed in these quasi-judicial
bodies upto June this year, 17,37,349 cases have been disposed
of registering 83.44 per cent of disposal.
The Additional Bench
has been created to speed up disposal of cases within the stipulated
period of 90 to 150 days, which is yet to be achieved due to infrastructural
short-comings. Under the amended Consumer Protection Act which
came into effect from March 15, 2003 the jurisdiction of all the
agencies have been enhanced and more powers given to deal with
consumer grievances and the implementation of their orders effectively.
Speaking on the occasion
Justice Shri D.P. Wadhawa, President, NCDRC said that circuit
Benches would be constituted in states like West Bengal, Maharashtra,
Tamil Nadu etc. for speedy disposal of cases and a compendium
of important judgements be brought out for the benefit of the
Bar. More Benches of Consumer Courts would be required for the
disposal of all the cases filed in the courts within the stipulated
period, he pointed out.
