The Telangana State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (TSCDRC) is dealing with several pending cases. A glance at the figures till the end of August shows a backlog of 46 % vis-a-vis cases filed.
Bifurcation
According to figures, after the bifurcation of the Andhra Pradesh State Consumer Disputes Commission in October 2014 and subsequent constitution of the TSCDRC, the number of cases filed stood at 6,668. These include consumer cases, first appeals, revision petitions, execution petitions and delay petitions. While over 3,567 cases were disposed, the number of cases that are pending stood at 3,101. “There are a number of reasons for the pendency. One of the reasons is that it took time for the post of the Commission’s president to be filled before the current president was appointed. Further, a current member of the Commission has been unwell and the post of a woman member is vacant. There are some systemic issues as well, but these have to be dealt with by the State government,” an official told The Hindu .
The data also shows that while consumer cases form a bulk of the pendency, the largest backlog is seen in cases pertaining to first appeals.
Meanwhile, the 12 district consumer redressal forums in the State have a combined pendency of 5,190 cases. The largest backlog has been recorded in Karimnagar with 1,271 cases. Similarly, Warangal has a pendency of over 630 cases.
Explaining the reasons for this backlog, an official who requested anonymity explained that the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum – Karimnagar has seen insurance related batch petitions with Life Insurance Corporation of India and some private insurance companies as respondents. While many have already been dealt with, the backlog continues.
Touching upon the cases in District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum – Warangal, the source said, “The Warangal district forum has seen a huge number of cases pertaining to spurious seeds sellers or distributors. These too are like batch petitions. Of the 637 pending cases, there are around 540 poor quality seeds cases which are pending,” the source said.
