The Hindu Business Line : Separate police for consumer fora sought

There is a need for a separate police force to deal with the mounting number of consumer cases in the State, as the police at present are unable to execute the non-bailable arrest warrants issued by the consumer fora, according to Mr Justice I.V. Narayana, Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.

At a press meet here on Friday, he said the NBWs were piling up at several district fora as the police were not able to execute the warrants.

"I have suggested to the high-powered committee constituted by the State Government that at least one head constable and a constable should be posted at each district consumer forum to execute the arrest warrants. "Only the threat of arrest works in the case of certain providers of goods and services and there will be no deterrence if the warrants are not executed," he said.

Mr Narayana said there was greater consumer awareness than in the past, but there was still a long way to go. "At present, there are 4,456 consumer cases pending in the State and efforts are being made to dispose them of at the earliest," he said.

He said the circuit benches of the Andhra Pradesh State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission would be set up at Visakhapatnam and Tirupati and the orders would be issued soon.

These benches would be of great help, as they would facilitate the filing of appeals in the respective zones and the need for going to the State capital would be obviated.

He said there were proposals to set up such benches either at Vijayawada, or Guntur, and Nizamabad.

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