CPDI urges Sindh govt to set up consumer courts

KARACHI: The Sindh Government has so far failed to meet its legal obligation regarding the establishment of consumer courts in the province, said Amer Ejaz, Executive Director, Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI)

According to a press release, he said that the residents of Sindh have no legal forum to resort to if any enterprise violates their rights as a consumer.

Urging the Sindh government to establish the consumer courts at the earliest, Ejaz said once the consumer courts are established in all the districts of the province, they would punish shopkeepers involved in specific violation with regard to the prices, quality and quantity, leading to a relatively friendlier environment for the consumers.

He stated that the Sindh Consumer Protection Act, 2014 was enacted as a law in February 2015, but the government has failed to establish the consumers’ courts, while on the other hand, the other provinces have already established consumer courts that are now dealing with consumer problems according to the law of the land.

The CPDI executive director further said that the consumer courts could protect the citizens from fraud, eradicate corruption and help in creating a consumer-friendly environment in the province.

The government, he added, was supposed to establish district and sessions courts in all districts of the province to solve the problems of the consumers as per the Sindh Consumer Protection Act.

General consumer issues can be directly taken to the consumer courts, which can summon the vendors.

The consumers will only have to write an application to the court; they will not need to hire an advocate to plead their case, he added.

Under the food authority, commissioner of every division in Sindh will depute deputy commissioners who will further check prices, quality of general items; if something is found defective or expired, they would impose fine on the vendor and send the cases to the consumers’ court.