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Times Of India, LUCKNOW - Consumer
awareness is on the rise in the state. The
growing indication of the same is the maximum
number of appeals filed with the commission
last year. In 2008, the state commission
disposed of 3,560 appeals filed with it.
Total number of complaints filed against
this was about 2,700. The number of appeals
heard by the commission has not been this
huge in the past years of its history. |
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"This is a growing indication of
increasing consumer awareness,"
said Justice Bhanwar Singh, president, state
consumer disputes redressal commission,
UP. The Consumer Protection Act 1986 became
functional in the state in 1990. Since inception
UP has received 52,828 cases till August
2008, which is maximum in the country. The
state has 75 district forums as of now.
And, every forum disposes of at least three
cases everyday. In case a forum does not
decide the case within 90 days, the complainant
can file an appeal with the state commission.
Besides, there are many such matters which
do not reach the forums or commission, but
are settled at the level of organisations
working for consumer rights. "Many such
cases get settled out of court and out of
forums," said Abhishek Srivastava, a consumer
rights activist. |
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The organisations working in Lucknow share
that they receive 20 to 25 cases almost
everyday. Though lot of these matters might
be the ones where a legal case cannot be
filed as consumers do not have supporting
documents, that does not prove that consumers
have not been taken for a ride. The cases
demanding compensation less than Rs 20 lakh
can be filed at the forums and from Rs 20
lakh to Rs 1 crore can be filed with the
commission. The appeals against the orders
of the forums are also filed at the commission.
The commission does receive complaints where
compensation amount awarded to the aggrieved
consumer has not been paid by the defaulter.
"We are coming up with stricter orders in
such cases," said Singh. |
