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Sign the Petition requesting The Honble Minister of State for Environment
and Forests (I/C) to maintain the moratorium on issuing further
environmental clearances for mining activities in Goa
http://goanvoice.org.uk/miningpetition.php
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Do GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to your
family members, relatives, neighbours and friends.
Help other CONSUMERS to be better informed.
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Talk ‘conciliation’ first, let court be last resort !
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by FRANKY GRACIAS
A prominent movie house in the city had to tender an apology in a
newspaper for a wrong advertisement for the price of a ticket after a
couple complained to the Consumer Conciliation Committee (CCC)
attached to the Civil Supplies Department formed especially to look
after consumer grievances.
The movie house had advertised a ticket for Rs 100 in the ad but
the couple had to pay Rs 120 for the show. They paid the sum and
watched the movie but later decided to teach the movie house a
lesson to make it realise it shouldn’t take customers for a ride.
A complaint to the conciliation committee brought the theatre’s
official before the CCC at Junta House which heard the matter after
which an apology was issued in the same newspaper that had carried
the Rs.100 ticket ad.
Officials in the know of the operation of the CCC mention the
couple’s grievance was not about the Rs 20 extra they had to pay
for the movie show, but the way in which the people at the counter
behaved after the ad was mentioned to them.
They said more and more people were approaching the committee
formed as per the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act with
even the smallest of matters, a sign indicating customers are now
becoming more and more aware of their rights for better service.
“The movie theatre case was a unique one, but the committee which
has been operating for the last few years has heard and settled many
disputes pertaining to prices of goods, blunders at tailoring shops,
beauty parlour goof-ups, flight ticket refunds, spoilt milk packets,
insurance cases, phone line complaints, builder matters, etc.,” the
officials mentioned.
Conciliation committees save courts several litigations that would
arise out of matters coming to the former. These types of committees
operate at several courts in the country, but Goa is among the first
few states to have a conciliation committee hearing consumer
grievances exploring potential solutions and bringing about a
negotiated settlement.
The CCC that started a few years ago in the State on the initiative of
then Assistant Director Civil Supplies Ashutosh Apte meets once in
a month on the fourth floor (1st lift) at Junta House and has settled
even the smallest of smallest grievances.
Say Amita Salatry and Roland Martins members of the Goa State
Consumer Protection Council, who conduct the proceedings of the
CCC, “The basic purpose of this committee is to build confidence in
the customer. Here one can come with the smallest of complaints.”
Both, Salatry and Martins are members of the CCC.
They mention it is surprising to observe consumers who have come
with complaints at the hearings give solutions and proposals to the
opposite party on how to improve services. “Suppose there is no
settlement in a matter a failure report is prepared and after that the
complainant is free to approach the designated consumer court,”
both inform.
Salatry and Martins observe, “Conciliation differs from arbitration
and the proceedings held at the CCC have no legal standing and it
can’t order. What we do is bring both parties face to face and work
out a settlement saving the courts hundreds of litigations that would
arise out of trivial issues.”
They add, “Once a settlement is reached CCC draws consent terms
by which the parties have to settle their dispute. One must realise
even the smallest complaint is worth it. It may have the power to
bring out bigger solutions.”
The CCC met on Thursday at 3 pm where around 40 cases were
lined up and a few of them were heard and some decided and some
likely to be settled till it’s time for the next seating on April 15.
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HERALD 19/03/10 page 2
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GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK
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promoting civic and consumer rights in Goa
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GOACAN Post Box 187 Margao, Goa 403 601
GOACAN Post Box 78 Mapusa, Goa 403 507
mail: goa...@gmail.com Visit: http://goacan.blogspot.com
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