Directorate of Consumer Affairs & Fair Business Practices

 

          In terms of notification No. 213–DCA dated 21.3.2001 the Directorate of Consumer Affairs & Fair Business Practices, West Bengal was set up under the administrative control of the Consumer Affairs Department. The Directorate  with its headquarters at Kolkata has three divisional offices known as Regional Centres for Consumer Education and Fair Business Practices located at Kolkata, Chinsurah and Siliguri.  In addition, there are 25 regional offices in all districts, important subdivisions and in Kolkata. The list of all such offices with address and telephone nos. are given in Annex – IX. In the regional centres and regional offices either a Deputy Director or an Asstt. Director is the head of office. The Directorate started functioning with effect from 1.10.2001 by absorption and transfer of officers and staff of the erstwhile Directorate of Revenue Intelligence & Entry Taxes. A total 781 employees of different categories were absorbed in the new Directorate against the sanctioned strength of 946. With the Cabinet approval dated 24.4.2002, a total of 28 LDC and 18 Gr.-D staff were appointed in August 2002. The total staff strength is given in Annex  X.

Objectives

The main objective behind setting up the Directorate was to protect consumer rights and promote consumer welfare. The major activities of the Directorate during the year under review included the following:

  • To develop interface and to hold joint programmes / camps with Voluntary Consumer Organizations (VCOs), consumer activists, students / teachers of schools and colleges, clubs, panchayats, municipalities, offices of the State/Central Government etc. to create awareness about the rights guaranteed to consumers under the law and to serve as Counselling and Guidance Bureau to guide consumers to assert such rights.
  • To develop interface with the Chambers of Commerce & Industries, Associations of trade and business to make them aware of their obligations to consumers and to help them evolve the culture of Fair Business Practices.
  • To undertake mediation of consumer disputes to facilitate speedy and inexpensive resolution by intervening for quick settlement of consumer disputes, particularly disputes involving small/petty claims.
  • To set up District Consumer Information Centres to provide regular information and update on developments that relate to consumers, trade and business.
  • To associate and assess the activities of the Voluntary Consumer Organizations (VCO), particularly those applying for grant from the Consumer Welfare Fund, so that the State Govt. may formulate and furnish its views, as required by the Central Govt.

Activities

At the initial stage, the Directorate was primarily engaged in setting up its offices in different districts, Kolkata and headquarters. Since the officers and staff of the erstwhile Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and Entry Taxes were completely new to the activities of the Directorate, training programmes were organized in December, 2001 at the Institute of Cooperative Management for Agriculture & Rural Development at Ultadanga. All the Asstt. Directors and the Deputy Asstt. Directors attended the training programme which was inaugurated by the Minister-in-charge of the Department.  Guest Faculty from the Finance Department, State Consumer Forum, Legal Metrology and Bureau of Indian Standards participated. The main purpose of the training was to acquaint the officers with various aspects of Consumer Rights and Awareness and to develop trainers for training in the districts. 

             On 24 December, 2001 National Consumer Day was observed with the active participation of the Directorate at Paschim Banga Bangla Academy. On 15 March, 2002 the World Consumer Rights Day was befittingly observed by the Directorate. Officers and employees of the Directorate and various consumer organisations assembled at Sisir Mancha on the occasion after “Padayatra” from the Lenin Statue at Esplanade which was attended among others by the Minister-in-charge, Consumer Affairs Department, Minister-in-charge, Departments of Law & Judiciary. Similarly, all the regional offices in the districts observed the day with the participation of the Sabhadhipati Zilla Parisad, District Magistrate, District Judge and other functionaries. Processions and seminars were organized involving students from schools and colleges and people from various walks of life. A district-wise report is placed below.

  1. Jalpaiguri Division (Siliguri)—Seminar was held at Kanchanjangha Stadium Hall with the President, District Forum in the chair.  “Walk” with posters was also organised with various organizations and schools.
  2. Malda — There was press release by the DICO.  Seminar was held in the Town Hall which was attended by the Minister-in-charge, Food Processing & Horticulture Department, District Magistrate, Chairman Englishbazar Municipality and other dignitaries.
  3. Uttar Dinajpur — Publicity through audio cassette was arranged, leaflets were distributed and hoardings and banners were displayed.  The seminar was organised with the District Magistrate, District Judge and President, District Forum and other functionaries of the district.
  4. Dakshin Dinajpur — A seminar was organised with Dakshin Dinajpur Consumer Association and local dignitaries like Sabhadhipati, Zilla Parisad, ADM etc.  Outdoor publicity with a tableau was also arranged.
  5. Cooch Behar — A seminar was organised with District Judge, Bar Council, Nationalised Banks and District Functionaries.
  6. Darjeeling — A seminar was organised with district level functionaries. This was published in local dailies like “Janapath Samachar” and “Aaj Bholi Dainik Samachar Patrika”.
  7. Jalpaiguri — Banners were displayed at conspicuous places of the city.  Walk programme and distribution of leaflets were arranged.  Seminar was held with local NGOs and district level functionaries.  This was published in Uttar Banga Sangbad.
  8. Hooghly — Seminar was organised at Zilla Parisad Auditorium Hall.  Awareness camp was arranged at Tower Block with Legal Metrology and District Forum.  Leaflets were distributed amongst the public and in various other offices.
  9. Burdwan — Seminar was held in Zilla Parisad.  The Vice Chancellor of Burdwan University, M.P. Burdwan, M.L.A. Burdwan, Sabhadhipati Burdwan Zilla Parisad, District Magistrate, ADM and the President, District Forum were present.  Leaflets were published and distributed amongst people.
  10. Birbhum — Rally with festoons and slogans was organised.  Seminar was held at Zilla Parisad Conference Hall with President, Consumer Forum, Additional District Magistrate and other dignitaries.
  11. Purulia — Procession was organised with banners and seminar was held.
  12. Midnapore — Seminar was held with Sabhadhipati, Zilla Parisad, District Judge and President, District Forum.  A booklet was published in association with the merchant organization of the district.
  13. Howrah — Seminar was held at Howrah Zilla Parisad Meeting Hall. Sabhadhipati, Howrah Zilla Parisad, Deputy Mayor H.M.C., DM, ADM(G), ADM(J), ADM(Development), SP,  Additional SP, SDO-Sadar, SDO-Uluberia, the District and Sessions Judge and other Judges of the District and the Principal, Howrah Bijaykrishna Girls’ College were present on the occasion.  The seminar was attended by representatives of  local clubs, voluntary organizations, and local dailies.
  14. Nadia — Seminar-cum-exhibition was organised.  Handbills were distributed and mobile campaign was done with loudspeaker.  Various NGOs attended.
  15. Murshidabad — Seminar was organised with Sabhadhipati, DM, ADM, President District Forum and other dignitaries of the district.  Leaflets were distributed and mobile campaigning was organised.

 

  1. North 24 Parganas — Campaigning through recorded cassettes highlighting consumer rights was organised, banners were prepared, message of the day was published in the local newspapers.
  2. South 24 Parganas — Rally was organised with banners.  Essay competition was held along with seminar at Vivekananda Mission School.       

         The Consumer Affairs Department in the beginning of 2002 decided to implement integration of activities of all the three branches. As a first step, the offices of CA&FBP, Legal Metrology & Consumer Forum in the districts are to be accommodated under a single roof. This was also necessary for bringing the three offices under a single computer network. The Directorate was entrusted with the primary responsibility of identifying such office premises.

From the last week of January 2002 Divisional level meetings were held by the Principal Secretary at Siliguri, Kolkata and Durgapur. The officials of CA&FBP and LMO attended the meetings. It was decided that Consumer Welfare Officers under the Directorate were to be deputed to the Inspectorial Unit of Legal Metrology to help in collection of revenue.  The reports received from most of the districts indicated that the CAFBP and the Legal Metrology acted in a coordinated manner.  The CWOs helped in updating list of traders and motivating them for reverification and registration.

            The Directorate played an important role in interaction with various VCOs / NGOs.  At Kolkata a meeting was held with the apex bodies of the NGOs by the Director. The ADs met functionaries of different organizations. They also took part in the functions organised by VCOs during the period. In the districts, the regional offices had regular interaction with such organizations, Chambers of Commerce and Traders’ Associations.  They also developed interface with various district level functionaries like the Sabhadhipati, District Magistrate, CMOH, D.I. of Schools, D.I.C.O., S.D.O.s and Urban Local Bodies.

BUDGET

         The Directorate, CA&FBP started functioning from October 2001. In the Budget Estimate 2001-02 under Head of Account “3456-00-001-Direction & Administration-NP-Non Plan-004-Directorate of Consumer Affairs (CA)” a sum of Rs. 10,38,000/- was allotted. In the Revised Budget 2001-02 the allotment was Rs. 4,65,00,000/-. The actual expenditure during the year was Rs. 4,43,16,145/-.