Consumer Disputes Redressal panel
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Opposition NCP on Tuesday created din in the Assembly demanding the removal of businessman R Bawri from the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission on grounds of “conflict of interests”
Leader of the Opposition Conrad K Sangma feared that the RK Bawri being a businessman would not do justice to the complaints of people who would move to the commission for redressing their consumer disputes.
“This man must be removed as he will not do justice to the consumers,” Sangma asserted.
Reacting to the queries of the Opposition, the Food Civil Supplies&Consumer Affair minister RC Laloo admitted that the post for the president of the commission has been lying vacant since 2010 when the former president retired.
The Commission is currently looked after by Bawri and Patricia Mukhim.
According to Laloo, Bawri was first appointed as the member of the commission in 1999 and he was reappointed in 2009
When asked for the delay in appointing a full-fledged president, the minister stated that the department has already moved to the registrar general of the Gauhati High Court for the appointment of the president.
It may be mentioned that there are 83 cases are pending with the commission
This was not enough for the Opposition who questioned the minister on the need to retain Bawri in the commission for more than a decade.
After being grilled by the Opposition, Laloo said he required a notice to find out “why these things are going on in the commission”.