Pace of work speeding up in MP's consumer courts

The pace of work in Madhya Pradesh’s consumer courts is accelerating as a direct consequence of awareness among the state;s denizens. While the state-level Commission for Consumer Protection has ensured justice in 28,654 of 31,466 cases registered so far -- a healthy 91.06 per cent -- district fora sorted out 1,23,946 of 1,33,279 cases -- 92.65 per cent. In the market, consumers have become alert vis-à-vis prices of products, quality and other useful aspects resulting in a rapid rise in the number of those moving consumer courts. Official sources said the Commission received 2,970 complaints in 2006, 3,101 in 2007 and 3,250 last year. The number of solved cases were 2,780, 2,706 and 3,201 respectively. The district fora received 10,850, 12,008 and 12,267 complaints in the years under review and the number of cases solved were 9,597, 10,398 and 11,006. Rapid disbursal of cases also boosted customers morale. Most of the cases sorted out related to insurance, power, housing, banking, railways, post, telecommunication and medical services. Consumers interests will be discussed at an open forum during a state-level programme here on Sunday, which is World Consumer Day. A Customers Awareness Programme will be organised on March 18 and 19 in the Bhopal Haat. The event, accompanied by an exhibition, will accord special importance to power and cement cases as such consumers are high in number. Stalls will highlight adulteration and weights and measures-related irregularities plus how to avoid falling victim to them. Consumer protection is a form of government regulation which protects consumers interests. For instance, a regime may require businesses to disclose detailed information regarding products -- particularly in areas where safety or public health is an issue, such as food. Consumer protection is linked to the idea of consumer rights and to formation of consumer organisations that aid consumers make better choices in the market. Consumer interests can also be protected by promoting competition in markets which directly and indirectly serve consumers, consistent with economic efficiency. Consumer protection can also be asserted via non-government organisations and individuals as consumer activism. Consumer protection law or consumer law is considered an area of public law that regulates private law relationships between individual consumers and the businesses that sell those goods and services. It also covers a range of topics, including product liability, privacy rights, unfair business practices, fraud, misrepresentation and other consumer or business interaction. Such laws deal with credit repair, debt repair, product safety, service contracts, bill collector regulation, pricing, utility turnoffs, consolidation, personal loans that may lead to bankruptcy and much more.

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