|
The Department of Consumer Affairs proposes to utilize the services of Lok Adalats for speedy disposal of consumer disputes. Such a system with provision for referring cases to fora like Consumer Councils and Lok Adalats for the settlement of consumer disputes would ensure speedy disposal of cases with the consumer courts being reserved as the last resort for resolving disputes. This was stated here today by Shri L. Mansingh, Secretary, Consumer Affairs while addressing a meeting of State Secretaries of Department of Consumer Affairs. Emphasizing the need for transparency in the system of consumer protection, he said that traders of goods and service providers were being impressed upon the need to institute inbuilt redressal mechanism for consumers, so that consumer grievances if any, would be sorted out at their origin itself.
Speaking on the occasion, Justice Shri M.B. Shah, President, National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) underlined the need for creating more benchers of consumer courts for disposal of cases within the stipulated time. He urged the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations to fill up all the vacancies of Presidents in Consumer Fora in their respective areas and regretted that even some of the progressive states have not yet constituted the benches so far.
The Department of Consumer Affairs had sanctioned a project in 2004-05 for computerization and computer networking of consumer fora in the country at an estimated cost of Rs. 48.64 crore which is being executed by National Informatics Centre (NIC) on a turnkey basis in three phases from 2004-05 to 2006-07. In order to ensure cooperation for the implementation of the project a tripartite Memoranda of Understanding between the Department of Consumer Affairs, National Informatics Centre and the Governments of States and UTs was signed on this occasion.
The one-day meeting of Secretaries of Consumer Affairs of States and Union Territories is being convened for reviewing measures for strengthening consumer protection in the country, computer networking of consumer fora, strengthening of consumer redressal mechanism, enforcement of mandatory use of ISI mark by States/UTs etc.
SBK: CP:consumer15.7
|
