“Awareness on the Consumer Protection Act (COPRA) 1986 is incredibly poor. More awareness has to be raised among people, especially the poor,” said M.J. Salian, president of the Dakshina Kannada District Federation of Consumer Organisation and convener of the District Consumers Information Centre, Mangalore.
He was speaking at an event held to mark National Consumers’ Day here on Monday.
“COPRA is a very powerful law and a tool that has been given to you,” he said. “Even doctors are covered under it. Their licenses could be cancelled. Compensation claims could be made through this law,” Mr. Salian said.
‘Inexpensive’
He said that if there was a case pertaining to consumer laws, it would be better to approach consumer forums and courts instead of civil or criminal courts to solve consumer problems.
“It is also inexpensive as consumers do not have to pay for a lawyer. Those coming from families below the poverty line or Antyodaya categories do not have to pay registration fees,” he said. The registration fee that others paid depends on the amount claimed, he added.
“For example, Rs. 100 is the registration fee to be paid to the forum to claim Rs.1 lakh, Rs.100; for Rs. 200 has to be paid for Rs. 5 lakh; Rs. 400 for Rs.10 lakh, and Rs. 500 to claim Rs. 20 lakh. Claims above Rs. 20 lakh are handled by a State-level consumer commission,” Mr. Salian said.
Information centre
Although COPRA states that each district should have at least one consumer information centre, only four districts in Karnataka had such centres.
Also, wherever the centres had been set up, they were not been given full financial assistance, Mr. Salian said.
Mr. Salian asked students to form consumer clubs. They would know the value of being part of such a club when the opportunity presents itself, he said.
“There are consumer clubs in schools and colleges that raise awareness about consumer protection. These clubs are supposed to get Rs. 10,000 each year for two years; however, they have received the sum only once, Mr. Salian said. N. Prakash, Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner, said that the those living in villages should be made aware of COPRA. The need for additional district forums had been voiced often, the Deputy Commissioner said.
Gananatha Ekkar, NSS coordinator for Mangalore University, said that there was a need to educate the youth about consumer issues.
“There are three aspects to every issue: getting educated about it, getting people united on the issue and then agitating for it. Educating people on an issue is an important aspect, but a neglected one,” Mr. Ekkar said.
Complaints
Teachers from several institutions associated with consumer clubs, told The Hindu that students complained the most about the quality of junk food and buses. The students had said that drivers did not make a stop at appointed bus stops and were rude to them because they carried bus passes. Students were not given tickets, and conductors used harsh language.
