Consumers' Club celebrates 32nd foundation day
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, August 25 2022:
Consumers' Club Manipur celebrated its 32nd foundation day with the club's chief patron member Salam Bharatbhusan and president T Phulchand as chief guest and president respectively.
Addressing the gathering, Phulchand said that the club was established in 1991 with the objective to create awareness among the consumers about their rights and Acts related with consumer rights.
However, the club has not been able to organise large scale awareness campaign across the state though it has its branches in most of the districts.
The club is now planning to organise awareness programmes in educational institutions, he said.
The Consumer Protection Act 2019 has provisions of six rights for consumers.
The first is right to safety, which protects the consumers from buying products which could be harmful to them.
Right to information entitles the consumers the right to get detailed information of any products sold in the market while right to choose provides the consumers to buy products according to their choice, he explained.
The Act also mandates the right to redressal and heard under which a consumer can raise complaint if they are cheated and it hurts their sentiments when buying any product.
For this one can raise complaint to the national, state and district level commissions.
On the other hand, the right to consumer awareness for which awareness programmes' can be organised, he said.
The club carries out drives in times of festivals to check unwarranted price rise.
Apart from issues related with buying products, one can also seek legal help for issues related with services including air and surface transport, electricity, post office, water supply among others.
The National Consumers Protection Authority, a body set up under the Act has the power to penalise any person or entity in consumer related complaints, he elaborated.
Consumers Dispute Redressal Forum, Imphal former president Dr Ch Narendra spoke as resource person in the evening session of the programme.