SHILLONG: The Department of Mathematics at St Mary’s College organised a panel discussion on Consumer Rights under the theme ‘My Shillong My Responsibility’ on Monday to commemorate Constitution Day.
The discussion was held in the college auditorium and panelists, including Patricia Mukhim, Editor, The Shillong Times, and Member of the State Consumer Protection Council, Anuradha Paul, Assistant Solicitor General, Jenita Rapthap, Inspector, Legal Metrology Department and Shaikupar War, Project Manager, Department of Food Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs.
Dr. AS Guha, noted columnist and Regional Director of IGNOU, moderated the discussion. Guha kick-started the discussion by pointing the rights and responsibilities of citizens in a democratic country. “Too often we know our rights but we don’t care about our duties,” Guha said.
Adding to the discussion, Mukhim said citizens today air their grievances over social media but hardly care about organising public action and activism which are essential pillars of a democracy.
Paul pointed to the traffic congestion of Shillong and pointed out why schools were not using school buses and how citizens can tolerate the daily grind of being stuck in traffic for hours together. “I was stuck for nearly 40 minutes on the Shillong College road today. Traffic jams take up so much of time and energy,” Paul said. She further urged the audience to use the public interest litigation route to address issues that are left unattended by governments.
War also pointed to difficulties faced on account of there being no clear public policy on most crucial issues. He felt that consumers ought to be vigilant and demand their rights and that they should insist on cash memos whenever they purchase goods or pay for services.
On the rights of consumers to fair pricing, Rapthap said consumers should read the price on packaged goods and not pay more than the printed price.
A question was raised by a teacher about arbitrary charges by local taxis. “Most visitors get cheated by local taxi drivers who charge whatever they want. There is no regulation of local taxis to charge fixed rates from Point A to Point B. As a result passengers get cheated. Who will regulate the hiring charges for taxis?” she asked.
Guha later opened up the house for discussion where students asked many pertinent questions. Clarifications were also sought on GST and labour taxes. The programme was attended by the students and teachers of the college.
