Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, March 13:

Lack of information dissemination to make aware of consumerism and their rights, consumers

are being deceived by the service providers, said various speakers at a programme organised here today by the Forum for Protection of Consumer Rights- Nepal (FPCRN) to mark the world consumers’ day. Consumer awareness is the must, they voiced. Netra Dhital, secretary at Consumers’ Forum Nepal, Lalitpur said that the monitoring teams are inefficient, which often leads to the scarcity of goods. People are unaware of Consumer Protection Act and the government has also not taken any initiatives to control adulteration and artificial shortage of goods that hit Kathmandu very often, he added.

Jyoti Baniya, general secretary of FPCRN said that the forum has been actively participating in daily market monitoring that is being organised by Department of Commerce (DoC) and Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC). Currently FPCRN is concentrating on artificial price hikes, shortage of daily consumer goods and quality of sugar, petroleum products and other daily commodities, said Baniya. Bhola Pokharel, a member of the forum said that the consumer welfare council is ineffective and its work frame is not defined. The irresponsible trade approaches prevailing in the country need to be addressed with proper law frames and be enforced such that it could provide justice for the victims, he added.