Consumer courts have to be made more effective
Premium4,029 of the 550,000 cases pending before consumer fora are more than 22 years old
The news that came three weeks before Diwali, the festival of lights and prosperity, is adding to the excitement. In these difficult times, when the whole world, including the US, Europe, and China, are trembling from fear of recession, only seven countries have dodged the bullet. India is one among them. How did India get this special place? Our vast consumer base, self-sufficiency in food, and a rapidly growing population of our professionals, and their passion are the answers.
We’ll talk later about farmers, who ensure our food security. For now, let’s look at professionals and consumers. What are their current circumstances? Before I answer this question, let me tell you about the ordeal of one of my relatives. She is a doctor by profession and this happened to her one fine morning a week ago.
Her driver was on leave, so she decided to use Ola or Uber like a young professional. She began by booking a cab through her mobile app and received the confirmation message right away, along with the taxi’s details. She expressed her delight, saying, “Hey, now I don’t need a driver." However, she had no idea what difficulties she would face in the next hour.
She rushed towards the lift so that the cab driver would not have to wait. Her apartment is on the 17th floor of one of Noida’s best societies. The lift had just begun to descend when the power went out. The builder, who sold flats for crores of rupees, had not made any arrangements to ensure that the lift operates normally during a power outage. The next few minutes were filled with darkness and dread.
As she stepped out, she was surprised to see in her taxi app that the cab had remained where it had been at the time of confirmation. It had not moved an inch. The doctor called the call centre and after more than 10 minutes of frantic effort, the driver cancelled the ride. The poor young woman called a cab again, but the same thing happened. The third driver cancelled the ride when he was almost at the pickup location. As a result, her account was debited by ₹40. She could have gotten this money back by filing a complaint, but the issue isn’t about money. These seemingly insignificant incidents had bothered the doctor and the patients who had an appointment with her.
Apart from poor drivers, the perpetrators in this entire episode included an online taxi service, an electricity distribution company, and a well-known builder. They all do billion-dollar deals, but what do they do for their customers’ comfort? It is not just a young doctor’s ordeal. Several people face these difficulties everyday.
In India, there is an urgent need to rein in industries that take advantage of government schemes. The attitude of some multinational corporations is worse. Consider automobile manufacturers. Their security standards differ significantly between developed countries and developing countries such as India. The ones in the developed countries are concerned with our hard-earned money, but do not concern themselves with our lives, safety, or the environment.
It is not uncommon to receive an SMS informing you that money has been withdrawn from or deposited in your bank account, or that your alternate phone number has been activated. An electricity company may send you messages requesting that you pay an outstanding bill. I know a customer who has told a bank that he does not have an account with it, but receives email updates from that organisation. He suspects that such activities are being carried out by an anti-social or fraudulent element. The individual continued to send mail but did not receive a satisfactory response. He filed a complaint with the banking ombudsman, but has yet to receive a response though months have passed. Now he has no clue what to do. Is there any way for him to exercise his rights?
If we examine the infrastructure and statistics for complaint redressal and consumer rights, we are rendered speechless. In the country, there are currently 629 District Consumer Courts and 35 Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions where one can file a claim for compensation of up to ₹20 lakh against consumer goods producers, sellers, and service providers of different kinds. The unpleasant reality is that 4,029 of the 550,000 cases currently pending before these courts and commissions are 22 years old.
The time has come to increase the number and effectiveness of consumer courts in the country. The powers of regulatory agencies and commissions require an urgent boost as well. Protecting the rights of the vast consumer class against which we are defending our economy is critical for the economy’s survival and long-term growth as well.
Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief, Hindustan. Views are personal.
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