Consumer Afifairs Fair: Bengal Consumer Affairs dept to impart training to Panchayat members

KOLKATA: The Bengal Consumer Affairs department will impart training to the Panchayat members across the state about consumer laws and protection in its efforts to reach out to the grassroot level .

“We have already prepared a training module and have sought consent from the minister in charge of the state Panchayats and Rural Development (P&RD) department.

As soon as we get his nod, we will start such training of the Panchayat functionaries at the district level,” Additional Chief Secretary of state Consumer Affairs department Roshni Sen said at the inaugural ceremony of three day ‘Kreta Surkasha Mela’ (Consumer Protection Fair) at Netaji Indoor Stadium on Saturday.

The state P&RD minister Pradip Majumdar batted for the importance of the Consumer Protection Fair to make more people aware about consumer protection laws and redressal through the consumer forum.

The minister of Consumer Affairs Biplab Mitra stressed on quick disposal of cases related with public grievances.

“I have held three meetings with concerned judicial officers and have asked them to take necessary measures to ensure that any case coming to the consumer forum does not go beyond a year. Additional Chief Secretary and I are constantly monitoring cases to ensure speedy redressal of public grievances,” Mitra added.

He maintained that often he receives complaints of police stations not providing receipts of complaints to the complainant which is illegal.

“We have a separate wing in our department which has an officer of DG rank at its helm to look into such cases. Just lodge a complaint with our department and we will ensure that you get a receipt,” Mitra assured. The three day mela is organised with the aim to promote consumer awareness and protect statutory consumer rights as enshrined in the Consumer Protection Act.

Cabinet ministers Shashi Panja, Chandrima Bhattacharjee, Bratya Basu, Biplab Roy Chowdhury were among others who attended the

inaugural programme.