Protecting and promoting consumers� interests
It is high
time for the government to make everything relating to the Consumer Protection Law clear to the people. There are
various apparatuses and mechanisms to get redress by consumers through using of this law. But due to lack of publicity these ways and means of getting redress remain unclear or even totally unknown to
potential complainants
The enactment of a comprehensive law for protecting the rights of consumers has been a prolonged demand in the country. Responding to the demand, the Consumers Rights Protection Act was enacted by the government in April 2009 to ensure consumer protection by realizing consumers right to quality goods and services at fair prices. The laws coming to light is heartening. But, unfortunately, the application of it is hardly noticed in the country. What is surprising is that majority of people , particularly those living at the grassroots level, are quite in the dark about it. Taking advantage of this, a section of unscrupulous producers and sellers of various goods are outright cheating the consumers. If the consumers had known about the existence of this law, they would have been greatly benefited.
It is highly worrying to note that people are being forced to buy low quality goods from markets in the absence of the proper enforcement of the law. Consumption of the same is exposing them to various kinds of health hazards in many cases. In fact, people are hostages in the hands of the dishonest traders who are cashing in on the helplessness of the former. The cheated consumers do not know how to seek redress and get compensation, while the perpetrators are having a free run. This kind of anarchy should not be allowed to go on in a democratic country. The government should go for an integrated approach for proper execution of the law. What is the use of enacting a law if it fails to provide the rightly expected benefits to people ? It is high time for the government to make everything relating to the law clear to the people. There are various apparatuses and mechanisms to get redress by consumers through using of this law. But due to lack of publicity these ways and means of getting redress remain unclear or even totally unknown to potential complainants . Thus, the government should be proactive in this regard. There is no scope for foot-dragging and dilly-dallying. The governments publicity wing and mass media can play vital roles in the matter. Since welfare of the people is one of the criteria of good governance, the government should take the issue of protecting and promoting consumers interest truly seriously.
