CAB calls for framing rules of CRP Bill
Sunday, 5 April 2009
FE Report
Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) has urged the government to immediately formulate rules and regulations of the recently passed Consumers Rights Protection (CRP) Bill 2009 aiming at implementing for the benefit of the consumers.
Leaders of the non-government consumer rights watchdog at a view-exchange meeting with journalists at the CAB office in the city Saturday also demanded setting up of concerned directorate and appointment of a director general for the body to receive and settle allegations of the consumers.
The view exchange meeting was organised by CAB to discuss the recently passed law, its scopes and limitations.
Parliament on Wednesday passed the Consumer Rights Protection Bill 2009 aimed at protecting consumers' rights.
At the meeting, CAB leaders alleged that a vested quarter had repeatedly tried to prevent the law from being passed in parliament and even if it is passed it does not become consumer-friendly. So the draft took 14 years to become a law, they said.
CAB General Secretary Quazi Faruque said the government will formulate related rules and regulations, set up directorate, appoint its head and complete other necessary formalities.
"Until those are completed and then law is implemented the consumers will not be able to use this law as a tool to protect their rights," he said.
The law has some limitations, which will be removed once related rules and regulations are formulated, Mr Faruque said without elaborating.
The CAB general secretary said the consumers had been cheated for long as there was no legal instrument to protect their rights. "Now, we have at least got a platform which allows the consumers to raise voice against the alleged malpractices when they buy anything," he said.
Borhan Ahmed, president of CAB, said: "We did not have this kind of law that protects rights of the consumers. So we could not complain if someone cheated us in weight, price and quality of the products."
Now, we will be able to complain against such malpractices, he said.
CAB leaders said the government in the past could only hold meeting with the businessmen on prices of the products, but could not take actions. Now the government will be able to play role as a regulator, they added.
"The government had no control over market because of its open market economic policy. But this law will provide them some sort of control over the market."
Emdad Hossain, programme officer of Research and Information Cell, informed that the consumer rights watchdog had committees in 61 districts of the country. "In the next five years we will reach upazila level to develop awareness among the consumers about their rights," he said.
Mr Ahmed said from next year the organisation would observe April 1 as the 'Consumer Rights Day' as the Consumer Rights Protection Bill 2009 was passed on this day.
He also urged the present government to declare April 1 as the 'National Consumer Rights Day' to observe it across the country.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) has urged the government to immediately formulate rules and regulations of the recently passed Consumers Rights Protection (CRP) Bill 2009 aiming at implementing for the benefit of the consumers.
Leaders of the non-government consumer rights watchdog at a view-exchange meeting with journalists at the CAB office in the city Saturday also demanded setting up of concerned directorate and appointment of a director general for the body to receive and settle allegations of the consumers.
The view exchange meeting was organised by CAB to discuss the recently passed law, its scopes and limitations.
Parliament on Wednesday passed the Consumer Rights Protection Bill 2009 aimed at protecting consumers' rights.
At the meeting, CAB leaders alleged that a vested quarter had repeatedly tried to prevent the law from being passed in parliament and even if it is passed it does not become consumer-friendly. So the draft took 14 years to become a law, they said.
CAB General Secretary Quazi Faruque said the government will formulate related rules and regulations, set up directorate, appoint its head and complete other necessary formalities.
"Until those are completed and then law is implemented the consumers will not be able to use this law as a tool to protect their rights," he said.
The law has some limitations, which will be removed once related rules and regulations are formulated, Mr Faruque said without elaborating.
The CAB general secretary said the consumers had been cheated for long as there was no legal instrument to protect their rights. "Now, we have at least got a platform which allows the consumers to raise voice against the alleged malpractices when they buy anything," he said.
Borhan Ahmed, president of CAB, said: "We did not have this kind of law that protects rights of the consumers. So we could not complain if someone cheated us in weight, price and quality of the products."
Now, we will be able to complain against such malpractices, he said.
CAB leaders said the government in the past could only hold meeting with the businessmen on prices of the products, but could not take actions. Now the government will be able to play role as a regulator, they added.
"The government had no control over market because of its open market economic policy. But this law will provide them some sort of control over the market."
Emdad Hossain, programme officer of Research and Information Cell, informed that the consumer rights watchdog had committees in 61 districts of the country. "In the next five years we will reach upazila level to develop awareness among the consumers about their rights," he said.
Mr Ahmed said from next year the organisation would observe April 1 as the 'Consumer Rights Day' as the Consumer Rights Protection Bill 2009 was passed on this day.
He also urged the present government to declare April 1 as the 'National Consumer Rights Day' to observe it across the country.