Vacant posts in District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum across Assam irks officials

GUWAHATI: “The posts of President/ Member of District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum of Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Nagaon, Guwahati and Kokrajhar is lying vacant for a long time. The post of President in District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum of Kamrup (Metro) District is lying vacant since December 31, 2018. Similar is the case in Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Nagaon and Kokrajhar District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, the posts of President/Member are lying vacant for more than 1 year.”

This is stated by Advocate Ajoy Hazarika, Secretary of Consumers’ Legal Protection Forum, Assam. Recently Forum had submitted an memorandum to the Secretary of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department, Govt. Of Assam and demanded to fill up all vacant post of District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum of the State and dispose all pending cases on time.

Advocate Hazarika alleged that If government don’t fill up the post for a long time, then the victim consumer’s will not get proper Justice. An advertisement dated 26/1/2019 was published in the Assam Tribune Newspaper regarding filling up of vacant posts of President/Member in District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, but still the above said posts are lying vacant. Section 10 sub section (1) & (1A) of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 provides for appointment of President, Members of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum. There are total 33 districts in the state of Assam. But only, Guwahati; Nagaon; Jorhat; Dibrugarh; Tezpur; Nalbari; Kokrajhar; Silchar have full-fledged District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum. The other districts don’t have full- fledged District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum. As such, the consumer complaints are handled by District & Session Judges who cannot devote more time in addressing the complaints because they have to also look into civil and criminal cases properly, to dispose them off. Due to non- availability of President/ Member in District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, lots of consumer complaints are lying pending for years which needs quick disposal. Section 13, sub section (3A) of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 provides that a consumer complaint has to be disposed of within a period of three months from the date of receipt of complaint. As per the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 the pecuniary jurisdiction of District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum is up to rupees one crore. The consumer complaints which were earlier registered in State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in terms of pecuniary jurisdiction, can now be registered in District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum.

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