Vacancies in consumer redressal forums in TN delay judgements

Times of India‎‎‎‎: Coimbatore: Wednesday, April 27, 2016.

An RTI application filed by a city-based consumer activist has revealed that five district consumer redressal forums in Tamil Nadu do not have a president.

The RTI applicant has now approached the Madras High Court seeking the state government to fill the vacancies. "The posts of members are kept vacant for more than eight months. Because of the vacancy in the District Consumer Redressal Forums consumers are deprived of their fundamental right. It discourages consumers and encourages violators,'' he said in the petition to the high court.

"Coimbatore, Namakkal, Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts (which jointly have one forum), Nagapattinam and Madurai do not have district forum presidents,'' said N Logu, secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Voice who filed the RTI. The same data also revealed that there are 8,245 cases pending across the state, of which 2,067 cases are from the above six districts. While Coimbatore, Namakkal, Vellore and Thiruvannamalai have had vacancies since June, last year, Nagapattinam has had a vacancy since October. However, Madurai has been worst affected, because their redressal forum has not had a president since April 2011.

"When the post of president is vacant, the judgements get delayed," he said.

In Tamil Nadu, 25 districts have consumer redressal forums and five districts have united recovery organizations. The consumer recovery organization is one that clears small cases in 90 days and big cases in 180 days.

"Because of this delay, many consumers who are affected do not choose to complain, fearing a prolonged battle with the companies that duped them," he said.

As per section 13A of Consumer Protection Act 1986, every complaint shall be heard as expeditiously as possible and efforts should be made to decide the complaint within a period of three months from the date of receipt of notice by the accused. But in the present situation, even a small issue is pending in district forums for a year,'' Logu said in the petition.

Another consumer activist, K Kathirmathiyon of Coimbatore Consumer Cause, says the redressal forum literally does not function in the absence of a president.