The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Consumer fora members to observe fast

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Wednesday, Mar 11, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Consumer fora members to observe fast

Staff Reporter

Demand to fill posts of presidents

“Over 10,000 cases pending before councils, which were unable to take new cases as only presidents had the power to do so”

CHENNAI: Members of consumer organisations across the State led by the Consumer Confederation of India (CCI) will go on a day-long hunger fast here on March 17 demanding that the posts of presidents in 23 district consumer fora be filled up at the earliest.

Addressing reporters here on Saturday, M.Nizamudeen, chief executive secretary of CCI, said a few posts of members had also been lying vacant.

Some of the posts of presidents have been remaining vacant since 2006, Mr. Nizamudeen said.

Every year, a total of Rs.5.5 crore was being spent on the running of the district consumer councils, he said.

CCI legal advisor C.A. Dass said that over 10,000 cases were pending before councils, which were unable to take new cases as only presidents had the power to do so. He said Central government funds meant for the construction of buildings to house the district fora had not been utilised so far.

FEDCOT Chairman Pirai Arivazhagan said the State Consumer Protection Council, headed by the Food Minister, had not been convened since 2005. Similarly district consumer protection councils had not been constituted or convened.

The Confederation wants all vacancies to be filled up and meetings convened immediately.

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