Pindi lawyers demand efficient body to protect consumer rights
As many as 50 participants from Rawalpindi district courts participated in the day-long training workshop.
Lawyers at a workshop in Rawalpindi stressed on the need for an efficient and alert body to protect power consumers’ rights. Members from the Rawalpindi Bar Association attended the workshop on “Consumer Protection and Energy Sector Regulations”, said a press release issued by The Network for Consumers Protection.
The workshop focused on energy sector laws and regulations, given how consumers from Rawalpindi district have experienced violent electricity protests in the past. Thousands of people suffered during those protests.
In his presentation, Aftab Alam, an energy expert, said that Punjab’s Consumer Protection Law needs to be seen as a whole. It also requires an effective consumer protection council mainly consisting of bureaucrats and eminent people from the capital and the associations of consumers.
Litigation in the consumer court is only done after exhausting all these forums, he said.
He also stressed upon the need for the formation of a consumer watchdog association in Rawalpindi to safeguard the consumer rights of the citizens.
Nadeem Iqbal, Executive Coordinator of TheNetwork, briefed the participants about the nature of three types of regulations — self, co and third party — to make the consumer redress framework more effective in the consumer sector.
He said that NEPRA and OGRA laws provide for the effective contribution of consumers in the open hearings for price determination of the tariff, but the consumer representation is negligible.
As many as 50 participants from Rawalpindi district courts participated in the day-long training workshop, which familiarised them with the consumer protection laws and the mechanism to enforce them.
The participants were given orientation on the concept of consumer protection and consumer protection legislation in Pakistan. A detailed session was also dedicated to the Punjab Consumer Protection Act 2005 and the relevant energy sector regulations.
Participants of the workshop vowed that “they would be the torch bearers to spread the awareness and understanding of the consumer protection legislation among their clients and the society in general.”
Towards the end of the training, an energy lawyers association was formed among the participants.
TheNetwork works for creating awareness of the consumer protection rights and the implementation of the laws.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 8th, 2012.