Bhubaneswar: As many as 10 district consumer protection councils (DCPCs) have failed to convene their meetings on time.
According to officials of the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department, consumer protection councils in districts such as Balasore, Boudh, Ganjam, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nawarangpur, Nayagarh and Rayagada have not convened their meetings on time.
As per the Consumer Protection Act of 1986, the state government establishes, by notification, a District Consumer Protection Council in every district to promote and protect the rights of the consumers therein.
The objective of the DCPC is to protect the rights of consumers, including the right to be informed about the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods or services, so as to protect the consumers against unfair trade practices.
The council generally comprises the district collector as its chairman and a number of officials and private individuals as members.
The existing the Consumer Protection Act mandates DCPCs to hold periodic meetings.
Accordingly, FSCW additional secretary Ananta Kumar Bhuyan has asked the collectors of these districts to hold the meetings of the councils as per the provision of the said Act and send the proceedings of the meeting to the state government on time.
“DCPCs of your districts have been constituted by the state government under Section 8A of the Consumer Protection Act, but no proceedings of the said council meetings (from any of the districts) have been received by the government,” the FSWE department letter to the collectors read.
PNN