Hyderabad: Telugu states accounted for just four per cent of the total complaints registered with National Consumer Helpline — 1800-11-4000 — between February and June 2017. While TS stood at 12th place in complaints filed with the NCH, AP was at 17th. Most complaints filed were against e-commerce, telecom, consumer electronic, banking and consumer durable sectors.
Lack of awareness amongst people on consumer rights and the poor consumer grievance redressal mechanism existing in the state are cited as the main reasons for fewer complaints being made as compared to other states. Over the years, the state governments have always turned a blind eye to consumer issues.
The National Consumer Helpline had received over 1.8 lakh complaints, of which AP and TS together account for only 7,000. Though there are consumer affairs, legal metrology, food and civil supplies departments in the state, the helpline handles only civil supplies activities.
The state departments hardly take up activities or meetings on consumer affairs, not even once a year, as officials and staff are busy monitoring the public distribution system that covers over two crore beneficiaries.
It also looks into procurement of food grains in the kharif and rabi seasons from farmers. There are no full-fledged officials or staff for consumer affairs and this is always handled by ‘in-charge officials’ whose monitoring is mainly namesake.
Even minister Etala Rajender has no time to deal with consumer affairs as he keeps himself busy with mostly finance and civil supplies issues.
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“The consumer affairs department needs to be strengthened to address consumer related issues. We cannot expect in-charge officials along with their scanty staff to perform better and address consumer related issues. The issue of consumer affairs has been neglected by the governments in undivided AP for 60 years,” he said.
The government is trying to resolve the issue by recruiting staff, he said. “Things are now coming back on track. Two years back we started a toll-free number that lodged consumer related complaints. However, the scarcity of staff still plagues the department,” Mr Rajender said.
Consumer activists are upset with the government for failing to set things right in the last three years after coming to power.
“For the state government, consumer affairs means just holding an annual meeting on National Consumer Day on December 24. Ministers and officials attend the meetings and give lengthy speeches on the need for creating awareness on consumer rights and ask consumers to file complaints against errant manufacturers. But no concrete steps are taken at ground level to achieve these objectives,” said Mr B. Sudarshan Goud, a consumer activist.
1,80,920
Number of complaints received by National Consumer Helpline.
(February-June 2017)
1,41,037
Number of complaints disposed.
