Problems With Computerizing Consumer Courts

Information pertaining to various courts in India is being digitized and put on the internet so that it can be retrieved by anyone sitting at home. The consumer court system is no exception. The judgments given by all the district consumer fora, state consumer commissions and the national consumer commission are required to be put on the website confonet.nic.in. The exercise is being done to help consumers, advocates and even consumer courts to find out whether issues interesting to them have come before any consumer court and what decision was given.

Photos from the Grahaka Patrike

(B.V. Shenoy) 
MGP's monthly meeting on 9-2-14 focussed on Aadhaar-based direct cash transfer of LPG subsidy

MGP's Meet on Solar Electricity

Most of India suffers from power shortage. To address this issue, the Central Government is promoting unconventional energy sources, notably, solar power. It has given approval to 31 cities across India for development as Solar cities and Mysore is one of them. Solar cities are required to promote solar energy to reduce the demand for conventional energy by at least 10 per cent.

Results of "The Smart Citizen Quiz" competition

To celebrate its Silver Jubilee, Mysore Grahakara Parishat, in collaboration with Mahajana Consumer Forum, Mahajana First Grade College, Mysore recently conducted "The Smart Citizen Quiz" for undergraduate and postgraduate students of Mysore. The quiz focussed on the knowledge needed to become a responsible citizen, such as issues related to Consumer Protection, Environment, Traffic and Safety, Anti-Corruption, Social Evils, RTI. etc.

A Welcome Decision By The National Commission

In a recent decision (I(2014) CPJ 6(NC)), the National Consumer Commission has said that consumer courts are bound to give "speaking orders" in their decisions. They should carry out a detailed analysis of the facts on record and then give cogent and convincing reasons for arriving at their conclusion. From the consumer viewpoint, this decision is quite welcome.

Heritage Building Needs Maintenance

The General Post Office building and the two buildings adjacent to it were built during the time of the Maharajas and have historical importance. The building which houses Lashkar Police Station is one of them. It is included in the list of 198 heritage buildings of Mysore identified by MUDA in its Master Plan - 2031.

District Forum Dismisses Contempt Case Against MGP

In a recent decision (18-1-14), the Mysore District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum dismissed a contempt of court case filed against Mysore Grahakara Parishat. The case was filed by Dr. S.P. Thirumala Rao. The judgment is available here. It is of interest that the case was filed by the leader of one consumer organization against another consumer organization.

Lack of Redressal Mechanism Causing Hardship to LPG Consumer

Mysore Grahakara Parishat held its monthly public meeting on 9-2-14 and discussed problems confronted by the LPG consumers. Mysore district is one of the 54 districts all across the country which were chosen to launch a pilot programme for Aadhaar card based direct benefit transfer (DBT) for LPG consumers, because Aadhaar enrolment in Mysore is very high. When the other districts in the country are getting LPG at a subsidized prices, consumers in Mysore district (and the other 53 chosen districts) are charged the market price on delivery and the subsidy amount is directly credited to their bank accounts. The objective of this scheme is to weed out bogus beneficiaries and to thus plug the leakage of the subsidy.