The Hindu : Apex consumer body ready to hold sittings outside Delhi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 16, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Apex consumer body ready to hold sittings outside Delhi

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, MARCH 15. The National Consumer Disputes Redress Commission, the apex consumer grievances redress body in the country, is likely to have its sittings outside New Delhi soon.

Welcoming the move to hold sittings outside New Delhi, consumer activists said till now, the apex body being `immobile' in New Delhi was part of the problem. ``A consumer who first approaches the district consumer forum, would normally be willing to travel to State capitals if the opposite side goes on appeal. But he or she might not travel to New Delhi to fight the case,'' said Bharath Jairaj, legal coordinator, Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG).

So far, this need to travel to New Delhi offset the fact that there was no court fee for filing a complaint. Also, many did not have the resources to fight a battle in a court travelling all the way to the capital.

The Union Consumer Affairs Secretary, Navin Chawla, said here today that the Commission was willing to hear cases in State capitals provided the Governments came forward to allot the required space for holding hearings. He has written to Chief Secretaries on this. At his meeting with the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary, Lakshmi Pranesh, he told her that the sittings could also be held in Chennai if the Government provided space for a courtroom.

Mr.Chawla said it was because of the amendment to the Consumer Act that helped his Ministry to come to this conclusion. Earlier five members had to sit for a hearing. Now, a single member can hold sittings outside New Delhi, he said.

Mr.Chawla addressed the valedictory of a workshop on `water security: issues concerning India,' organised by the CAG, the Federation of Consumer Organisation in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry and Consumer's International, on the occasion of World Consumer Rights Day.

Mr.Chawla said the Ministry had also set up six working groups to look into various issues - food safety; misleading advertisements; counterfeit, fake and spurious products, consumer, health and safety concerning tobacco; spurious drugs, pharmaceuticals and medicinal remedies and right to information. The members were inducted from Union Ministries, non-governmental organisations and associations of trade and industries.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Chawla handed over the first copy of `Consumer's Guide to Gold Jewellery Purchase,' to the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Commissioner, P.Kolappan, at a meeting organised by the Consumers Association of India (CAI). Authored by Bharathi Kumar, a CAI volunteer, the book contains information on what to look for when buying gold. The CAI trustee, R. Desikan, said the organisation had planned to bring out handbooks on safe driving and property purchase.

Mr.Chawla said it was necessary to set up Assay Centres for gold and silver testing. He had written to Chief Secretaries on this issue. Kerala was the first State to set up such a testing centre in Kochi, he said.

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