Under Basic Rights The Law Guarantees Every Indian Consumer. In that,
Right to be heard:
Every consumer has a right to be heard and to be assured that his interests will receive due consideration at appropriate forums. This right helps to empower the consumers for putting forward their complaints and concerns fearlessly and raising their voice against products or even companies and ensure that their issues are taken into consideration as well as handled expeditiously.
Municipal Services:
The quality of services provided by municipalities is a touchy subject in India’s cities where planning still revolve around reaching the maximum number of people rather than the quality of services offered.
The Consumer Protection Act, 1986, aims to promote and protect the rights and interests of consumers. Municipal services are currently not covered under this law.
The parliamentary grouping 2007/2008 had recommended all mandatory municipal services, such as water supply, be included in the Act to ensure better services to consumers.
Most users of municipal services, however, prefer to go to a lower or higher court in case of complaints. Users have different responses or no response to different sorts of complaints.
In case of such services, even if citizens use RTI (Right to Information Act) get information and then after going to courts is a tedious process to get justice.
Unlike deficiencies in goods, those aggrieved due to deficiencies in essential services don’t look for financial damages but redressal of the complaint, which they expect a court to deliver.
As citizens are paying for services to the organizations like Municipalities, Water Board, due to deficiencies in essential services etc for speedy redressal of complaint or any requests, these bodies should be into consumer act.
On World Consumers Rights Day request to all political parties to consider, include it in their manifesto, promise to take it on priority and implement it on coming to power.
