In order to check the ever-increasing cases in consumer courts, the government is toying with the idea of making it mandatory for all companies to have consumer grievance redressal systems in place.
"We have submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Company Affairs to incorporate a clause to this effect in their new Act, making it mandatory for the private as well as government sector to have consumer grievance redressal cells," Consumer Affairs Secretary L Mansingh said on Friday.
Currently, as many as 200,000 cases are pending in various consumer courts and the time taken to redress the complaints sometimes runs in years, as against the stipulated 90 days which has also been stressed by the Parliament.
Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting with state consumer affairs secretaries, Mansingh said the department was taking steps to improve the situation and make the system more prompt, effective and transparent.
"We are currently understaffed and thus are filling vacancies, especially at district consumer forums. Apart from this, we have embarked on a massive computerisation drive to link all the consumer courts across the country," he said.
Of the around 365 district forums, about 72 do not have presidents. "We will see that these are filled up fast. We are trying to put in place a system which anticipates vacancies itself," he said.
The consumer affairs secretary said the ministry had also started a Rs 42 crore (Rs 420 million) computerisation initiative which was being carried out by the National Informatics Centre.
"This project is expected to be completed by March 31, 2007, and will make the whole process easy and transparent. An aggrieved person can file his complaint online and can access all information regarding the progress of the case on the internet," Mansingh said.
In order to sensitise the corporate sector on the matter, the department has also written to various industry chambers like FICCI, CII and ASSOCHAM.
Mansingh claimed that the rate of disposal of consumer cases was around 85 per cent, though a representative of a leading consumer organisation, Voluntary Organisation in Interest of Consumer Education (VOICE), said it was only about 50 per cent.
The consumer affairs secretary said the government had also initiated a drive which would see the involvement of Lok Adalats in solving consumer cases.
