Two decades ago, media used to give wide publicity to consumer complaints and compensation awarded by the forum through weekly articles. However, the awareness on consumer rights has come down and there is a need to educate people on the subject, City Police Commissioner B. Shivadhar Reddy said.
Explaining about his experience as an advocate at a meeting organised by Consumer Protection Council (CPC) on the occasion of World Consumer’s Rights Day, he said,
“Earlier, when I was working as an advocate for two-and-half-years, I preferred handling cases related to consumer affairs and disputes. Some consumers appear to be negligent while others were not aware of their rights and many used to ignore the issue thinking it too trivial to bother.” Later, he cautioned the audience not to get carried away by false assurance of some financial companies offering 80 per cent interest rate. Media plays a predominant role in educating people about consumer awareness, he added.
President of CPC M. Krishna Murthy spoke about the importance of approaching proper channel when the retailers deceive the consumers. “There are many websites that give a clear picture on consumer rights. Keep a watchful eye on quality of the product and do not hesitate to point out discrepancies,” he suggested.
The annual event with the theme Consumer Justice Now, organised by the CPC, in association with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, had a theme oriented skits on how to be cautious while shopping during discount time, the way investors get carried away with high interest rates, and how false publicity of the substandard products make an impact on buyers, among others.
In line with the celebrations, staff nurse of Mental Care Hospital G. Nirmala Kumari, Andhra Bank employee J.B. Kameswari, APSRTC conductor (Kurmanapalem depot) G. Kishore Kumar, traffic constables of IV Town Police Station Rajesh Raju and P. Mohana Rao along with others were felicitated for their service to consumers. Lok Adalat secretary and Senior Civil Judge K. Surya Rao, Registrar of Andhra University K. Ram Mohana Rao, secretary of CPC P.K. Lingeswara Rao, District Supply Officer (City) S Jwala Prakash, among others also participated.
