Push for digital redressal as Chandigarh observes National Consumer Day

Chandigarh: National Consumer Day was observed on Wednesday at the Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission, Sector 19, Chandigarh, in a programme organized by Consumers' Association, Chandigarh, in collaboration with the UT department of food & supplies, consumer affairs and legal metrology. Advocate I P Singh, chief patron, Tricity Consumers Court Bar Association, Chandigarh, addressed the gathering on the topic ‘How to file consumer complaints online'. He explained the step-by-step procedure for filing complaints through consumer portal, highlighting its convenience, transparency, and accessibility for consumers.Advocate Ajay Jagga, additional standing counsel, Chandigarh, delivered the keynote address. He provided an overview of the Consumer Protection Act and shared data regarding the number of consumer cases pending at national level. He added that consumer courts in Chandigarh were performing efficiently with very low pendency, reflecting the effectiveness of the local consumer redressal system. State commission member Rakesh K Arya said consumer courts nationwide were increasingly using video conferencing, adding that Chandigarh planned to move towards a fully digital system allowing e-filing and virtual hearings. He stressed the need for greater awareness among consumers, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas.Secretary, consumers association, Chandigarh, N K Jhingan informed the gathering that association had been working since 1979, much before the enactment of the Consumer Protection Act in 1986. He stated that the association had successfully resolved over 15,000 cases through out-of-court settlements and had been recognized and awarded by the Government of India on several occasions. He added that CAC provided free services to consumers for resolving grievances and for filing cases in consumer courts.On the occasion of National Consumer Day, the advocates shared tips to promote consumer awareness. Rajavikrant Sharma advised citizens to remain vigilant while using quick commerce and e-commerce platforms, urging them to weigh delivered grocery items to ensure correct quantity and to remember that an order confirmation email from online platforms constituted a binding contract, making arbitrary cancellations unacceptable. He further suggested that consumers should always mention specific item details in UPI transaction remarks to aid in dispute resolution, take time-stamped screenshots of any technical glitches while filing online complaints, and carefully verify website addresses, ensuring they belong to official government domains ending in .gov.in or .nic.in to avoid cyber fraud. Advocate Anirudh Gupta cautioned the consumers against blindly trusting insurance companies, stressing the importance of checking claim settlement ratios and thoroughly reading policy terms and conditions before purchasing any insurance plan.