NAHARLAGUN, Aug 1: Legal Metrology & Consumer Affairs (LMCA) Assistant Controller KP Tago informed that all consumer-related problems cannot be looked into within a day’s time due to lack of officials and staffs in some districts.
Addressing an interaction programme with executive members of the Consumer Rights Organization – Arunachal Pradesh (CRO-AP) at a city hotel here on Thursday, Tago said many people avoid placing their complaints with the department because legal actions require time.
“The department is helpless without the public’s support,” he said, and suggested involving consumer organizations in this regard.
“They know the real problems of the consumers, so it will help the state government maintain a balance between consumers and sellers,” he said.
LMCA Deputy Director Daro Marbom, who was also present, highlighted the responsibilities of voluntary consumer organizations, and the legalities involved.
Marbom advised the CRO-AP to “make greater impact among the people about consumer rights by involving youths in the organization who are willing to work voluntarily and with dedication.”
He, however, informed that an organization is not authorized to take any legal action against defaulters.
“If the CRO-AP receives any complaint from a consumer, the organization can settle the problem amicably. However, if there is no fruitful outcome, the matter should be forwarded to the department concerned,” he said.
Marbom also informed the CRO-AP members that they can send consumers’ complaints to the district consumer protection officer.
Meanwhile, the CRO-AP’s president appealed to district organizations to work on activities related to consumer protection, and proposed that the LMCA department create posts under food safety.
“It is a statutory requirement for each district to have one full-time designated officer under Section 36 of the FSS Act, 2006. But there is a lack of designated officers and food safety officers in the state,” he said.
On the sideline of the programme, the CRO-AP appointed Tam Taring (Tarh) and Mojum Riram as the president of the organisation’s capital complex and Lepa Rada district units, respectively.
