from Sanjay Borkar
Daijiworld Media Network - Margao (SP)

Margao, Mar 2: To promote awareness of consumer rights, complaint procedures and redressal mechanisms available for the consumers in the state, Goa Civic and Consumer Action Network (GOACAN) will be holding various programmes in the month of March,  which will be observed as  ‘Consumer Rights Awareness Month’,  with the theme "Consumers! Organize, Assert Rights, Pursue Remedies".

During the month, GOACAN along with the village-based consumer forums and campus-based consumer clubs and cells, will highlight the need for 'consumer literacy,' so that consumers make an effort to read their rights and write their complaints.

GOACAN will join consumer organizations from all over the world to focus on food and medicine safety and the importance needed to be attached to it, so as to protect the health of the consumers, on World Consumer Rights Day being observed on the 15th of this month.

It will lay special emphasis on supporting the Consumer International's (CI) campaign to stop the marketing of unhealthy food to children and also the generation of junk food. GOACAN will also intensify the national level crusade in Goa against the spread of counterfeit, fake, spurious and adulterated goods.

In order to draw public and media attention to consumer issues during the month, visits to super markets, grocery stores, pharmacies and shops selling electrical goods to check products and take samples, to check the bus transport service and the implementation of weights and measures rules, will be organized.

Consumer Forum activists will also organize 'phone in's' with the commercial tax, legal metrology, food and drug administration, civil supplies, transport and other consumer-related departments. Dubious gift schemes and investment offers, violations of Packaged Commodities Rules and the ISI mark will also be highlighted during this month.

During the month, consumer activists will publicize the official telephone and fax numbers of various departments at the local and state-level, highlight the redressal avenues available such as the Consumer Conciliation Committees, District Consumer Grievances Redressal Forums and Public Grievance Redressal officers at the taluk and district levels. Complaint formats and procedures for redressal of LPG, kerosene, electricity, telephones, postal and PWD, water supply etc., will also be publicized.

Consumers are requested to send copies of their consumer complaints by post to GOACAN Complaints Cell, Post Box 187, Margao Goa 403 601 or by email to goacan@bsnl.in during the month.