The system of consumer welfare in Odisha has been totally paralyzed  due to sheer negligence and undermining of the essence of ‘consumer welfare’ by the Department of Food Supplies and Consumer Wefare, alleged senior lawyer of Consumer Court, Brahmapur, Kailash Chandra Mishra.

Though the lawyers of Brahmapur have brought to the notice of the Governor about the deplorable state of functioning of the department, but no action seems to have been taken in the matter so far, Panigrahi said.

Expressing concern that a crucial system has been grossly neglected in the State, Panigrahi said that there are a number of  posts of president and members of different consumer forums as well as in  the office of State Commission which are lying vacant for last two years to which the State Government have paid deaf ears.

Though there was an advertisement  for filling the posts of president  and members during January 2018, the Department of Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare has not taken any action yet.  As a result, the consumers of the State are suffering from getting due justice from harassments, Panigrahi alleged.

Paniggrahi also alleged that, the State Government though had notified in the Odisha Gazette for holding of Circuit Bench of State Consumer Commission at Brahmapur and Sambalpur on 26.9.2016 basing on which the State Commission notified its cause list on 17.11.2016 and 18.11.2016 for taking up the cases at Brahmapur, but the same has not yet been done which is quite unfortunate.

In this regard, a petition has been filed in the National Human Rights Commission, which was duly registered as NHRC Case No.3770/2019.

The commission on perusal of the matters as available on records, recently directed to the Principal Secretary, Department of Consumer Welfare to take appropriate action within eight weeks.