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| Highhandedness of retail stores goes unabated in JK | | In absence of Consumer Protection Act, retail stores openly charge for carry-bags | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Feb 23: In absence of new Consumer Protection Act for Jammu and Kashmir, the branded retail stores in the winter capital are continue to loot the customers by charging for the paper carry bags to carry items that are shopped at the stores.
A customer who shopped in a branded retail store informed Early Times that he shopped some articles and while paying bill, he had to shell out Rs. 12 for a small paper carry bag. “For a large paper carry bag, the same outlet charge Rs. 19, which is quite high as the outlets were earlier charging Rs. 5, 8 or 10”, the customer said.
He further said providing a carry bag to carry the articles shopped from the outlet, fall under the service of the companies but these outlets are brazenly charge for the carry bags, which was totally unfortunate and illegal act.
The government is helpless against the highhandedness of the retail store outlets due to unavailability of law for protection of consumers. “The Jammu and Kashmir Consumer Protection Act 1987 ceases to exist after the nullification of J&K’s constitution and new law has yet to come”, sources said, adding after the repeal of Consumer protection Act of J&K, the Consumer Courts have also become non-functional.
Now the consumers in Jammu and Kashmir could not lodge any complaint or take legal course of action, in absence of any law, which protect the rights of the consumers.
The parliament has already passed a new legislation Consumer Protection Act 2019. “Though the legislation was passed but so far a formal notification in government gazette is yet to be notified besides the rules are yet to be framed”, sources said, adding that taking advantage of the loophole the retail shops have been looting the gullible customers.
An official of Legal Metrology Department Jammu said that in absence of Consumer Protection Legislation, department could not take action and they were waiting for the law.
Pertinently, in January, 2019, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum in Chandigarh had imposed a penalty of Rs 13,000 on a leading retail store for charging Rs 5 from a consumer for a paper carry bag to carry items that were shopped at the store. |
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