Feel cheated? Call in the negotiators

KOLKATA: For those deprived of theirrightful dues or service, yet wary of lengthy court battles, there is a silentsentinel of law - the directorate of fair business practices.Mastersat negotiation, officials of this department tour the length and breadth of thestate, generating consumer awareness and fighting battles for those who seekjustice. Asim Kumar Seal, a resident of Manicktala, hadn''t heard ofthis directorate when he took a loan from a nationalised bank. Now, he can''tthank them enough.Seal had taken a loan of Rs 30,000 from anationalised bank under a government sponsored scheme for (registered)unemployed in 1999. One of the features of this scheme was that ifthe loan was repaid with full interest within a stipulated period, the borrowerwould get back 25 per cent of the amount by way of a governmentsubsidy.Seal repaid the loan in August 2002, and requested the bankto return him Rs 8,750 (25 per cent of the loan). The labourdepartment had, meanwhile, intimated the bank authorities about Seal''seligibility to get back the amount. But the money never arrived.Fortwo years, Seal ran from pillar to post to get back his dues. Before takingrecourse to legal option, Seal wrote to Santanu Chatterjee, director of consumeraffairs and fair business practices in end-August, 2004.Chatterjeeimmediately deputed two senior officials of the directorate to take up thematter with the bank. After a meeting with them, the bankers promised to lookinto the matter.On Monday, Seal finally received a cheque of Rs8,750 from the bank. "I had given up all hopes of getting back my dues. Thematter was resolved in less than three weeks," an elated Sealsaid.The directorate of fair business practices has solved around450 cases to the satisfaction of both the consumer and service provider."Most responsible companies take prompt action once the directoratebrings any defect or deficiency in services to their notice," Chatterjee toldTOI.