The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Status of consumer cases to be a click away

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 08, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Status of consumer cases to be a click away

Raghava M.

State’s consumer courts to be networked within a month

District forums to be given three computers, broadband facility
Unique software designed specially for the project to be installed

BANGALORE: Consumers could finally heave a big sigh of relief. They could soon expect an end to their frequent visits to the respective District Consumer Disputed Redressal Forums or the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission to check on the status of their cases.

In about a month’s time, they will be able to check the status of their cases online, either sitting at home or at a cyber café.

All the 30 district forums and the State Commission will be computerised and networked as part of the Computerisation and Computer Networking of Consumer Forums in Country (CONFONET) project.

The initiative has been taken up by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, in association with the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and the National Informatics Centre (NIC).

Through the CONFONETproject, the Ministry hopes to set up information technology infrastructure and bring in e-governance, transparency and efficiency in the working of consumer forums.

Under the project, each of the 30 district forums in the State will be given three computers and broadband facility.

A unique software, designed specially for the project by the National Informatics Centre, will be installed.

Website

According to president of Karnataka State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission Chandrashekariah, the entire working of the consumer forums, including the orders passed, the next hearing dates, judgements and the compensation amount deposited before the forums and other activities would be made available on the website ( www.confonet.nic.in).

“You can get similar details of consumer fora, State commissions and the national commission on the website,” he told The Hindu.

He said the process of implementing the project had already begun in the State. The District Consumer Redressal Forum of Bellary, Chitradurga, Davangere, Mysore, Kolar, Tumkur, Karwar, Gadag and Mangalore districts have already received the computers and broadband facility. The other districts will get the facility by month-end.

E-governance

Mr. Chandrashekaraiah said the State Commission had implemented e-governance in its working since 2003. Its website (http://kscdrc.kar.nic.in) gives the details of the case status, the important judgments and the list of cases posted on the future date, besides other details.

It also gives the number of cases disposed by the Commission and the district forums.

Changes sought

The State Commission has asked National Informatics Centre to make changes in the CONFONET software so that the existing system could also be made use of.

“All the consumer courts will be networked by the end of December,” Mr. Chandrashekariah said.

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