Editorial
Consumers' rights protection law takes effect
Put institutional framework in place now
ENACTMENT of a law to protect consumer rights was a long felt need that has finally been fulfilled. Consumers are now definitely better placed to deal with the anomalies, irregularities and fraudulent practices that they have so long been exposed to.
Little credit goes to successive governments which could not make any headway in framing such a law, since the initiative was first taken to protect consumer rights some 18 years ago. It is a sad truth that powerful business lobbies managed to prevail over the government on this particular issue and nothing could virtually be done to contain activities like market manipulation, adulteration, hoarding etc. So, the new law is a triumph for the consumers whose rights to seek redress against any wrongdoing were never established in the absence of any law.
The triumph, however, appears to be a qualified one as the new law prescribes methods for seeking redress that are heavily tilted towards bureaucratic, rather than juridical, solution. There is no provision for a consumers' court that would have allowed the aggrieved consumers to file cases directly. It is the directorate of consumers' rights protection which will be in charge of looking into the complaints lodged by the consumers. The process could be a little long-winding and time-consuming. And given the tendency of our bureaucracy to move slowly, dispensation of justice might not be as quick as is necessary in such cases. Here again we watch the executive branch of the government shouldering the greater part of the responsibility, when a court would have been the ideal recourse for the aggrieved consumers looking for quick justice.
The formation of the supervisory body, National Consumers' Rights Protection Council, would produce the desired results only if it can formulate effective rules to check anti-consumer practices like cheating, adulteration and price jacking. The council will have to equip the directorate well to accomplish the huge task of stopping the malpractice that hurts the consumer's interest.
The operational structure is urgently needed to be put in place, otherwise, the law will remain on paper. Simultaneously, consumers would have to be familiarised with different aspects of the law and the ways to seek redress of their grievances.
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