Consumer services infra push: Dists asked to identify land to set up integrated buildings

Kolkata: The state Consumer Affairs department has asked the District Magistrates (DMs) to identify lands in their respective districts for setting up integrated consumer service infrastructure under a single-roof.

The integrated building will not only have the Directorate of Consumer Affairs and Fair Business Practices but also State Commission and District Forum and the Directorate of Legal Metrology.

"The administrative functioning will improve significantly if all the services available under the aegis of the department can be brought under one roof. So we are seriously looking towards this set up," a senior official of the department said.

Presently, integrated building of the department exists in only three places—at Rajarhat in North 24-Parganas, at Ashoknagar Station Road in West Midnapore and at Mirza Ghalib Street in Central Kolkata.

A senior official of the department said that such integrated infrastructure is in its finishing stages in three districts namely South Dinajpur, Murshidabzd and Bankura.

"We have also identified land at Birbhum, Purulia and Jalpaiguri and the planning of the building has commenced," added the official.

The department has almost completed filling up of the vacancies at its 28 district forums for rendering the best of services to the consumers.

"We are committed to uphold the dignity of the department and to implement rules, regulations and act to protect the interests of the consumers," Manas Ranjan Bhuniya, state Consumer Affairs minister said.

The Consumer Affairs department has also introduced a unique, easy and hassle free mechanism of resolving consumer disputes through mediation which is available free-of-cost.

The department has set up 21 consumer commission specific Consumer Assistance Bureau (CAB) with a mission to provide legal assistance to aggrieved consumers in filing and maintaining consumer complaints with statutory commission.