Complaints piling up in consumer forums

KOLLAM: Frequent staff rotation and vacant posts have left majority of the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forums in the state with an enormous backlog of complaints. As a result, the forums often fail to dispose of cases within the mandatory three months time specified under the Consumer Protection Act. The Kollam District Forum is a fine example for this with over 500 pending cases, including cases filed as early as 2001.  According to the judicial officers in the Forum, the backlog is largely due to some key posts lying vacant and also due to the shortage of experienced staff. The appointment to clerical posts in the forum is being made from the Civil Supplies Department. However, hardly few officers prefer to be deputed to the forum. “The employees in the Civil Supplies Department seem to be apprehensive about being deputed to the forum, as the job requires expertise and experience in handling legal procedures. So majority are reluctant to take up the hectic work in the forum,” a top official in the department said. The influential employees manage to escape from being deputed to the forum, while some of the appointed empoloyees had gone on long leaves. Also, as the staff are deputed from another department, rotation is frequent resulting in shortage of experienced hands. Judicial officers pointed out that it would have been ideal if the staff were deputed from the Law Department.  In fact, the Central Government had made a proposal to the State Government to form a special cadre for appointment to the Consumer Forums. “The State Government is considering the proposal, while it has been delayed due to  financial difficulties. At present, we have no way but to ‘force’ the employees in the Civil Supplies Department to take up the posts,” he said. Meanwhile, the consumers are at the receiving end as justice is delayed to them. Such inordinate delay would also lead many to give up taking their grievances to the forum.