Human Rights Programme of Sungi Development Foundation arranged one-day orientation seminar on the establishment of “Consumer Court” in District Abbottabad. The seminar was arranged on March 24, 2011 in District Council Hall Abbottabad.  

Total 150 participants including 110 men and 40 women from all walks of life attended the seminar. The participants included representatives from civil society, trade union, bar council, lawyers, media, students, consumer rights protection councils, and district heads of various departments.  

Manager Human Rights Programme Sungi Mukhtar Javed welcomed the participants of the seminar and stated the objective of the seminar that was to introduce the consumer courts to the consumers.  

He told the participants that this is the second orientation seminar on consumer courts where Sungi is playing facilitating role to educate people about the courts and consumer rights. He thanked DCO Abbottabad and Consumers Rights Protection Council (CRPC) Abbottabad for their interest in organizing the seminar. We organized this seminar for awareness of the community about the consumer protection act 1997 and the role of consumer’s court he said. 

Member CRPC Naeem advocate gave a detailed briefing about the Consumer Protection Act and emphasized on the participants to play their role as aware consumer make the court functional. He said that services of consumer court are always available for the people and they can easily report their issues to the court on just a plain paper. Defining the consumer, he told that if we purchase anything or take against payment of money, we will be consumer. People who have any complaint against any department/service providers including merchant, WAPDA, Sui Gas, Medical Centers, lawyers and mobile companies, schools and hospitals, they should feel free to file a simple application in consumer court. He said that with coordination of civil society and media we have taken some remarkable initiatives for some important issues and problems of the  

Coordinator CRPC Qari Rashid stated the basic principles of consumer’s rights. Which are given as under: 

1. Basic needs of human beings for their lives. T,
2.     Protection and Quality
3.     Information about the ingredients of the items.
4.     Consumer should have power to select the item.
5.     People Participation in policy and decision making process.
6.     Consumer should have awareness about his rights.
7.     At production time environment should be kept clean and healthy.

Amir Jadoon, President press club Abbottabad, Mr. Samsam local leader MQM, Arjumand Khan Secretary CRPC Abbottabad Major rtd Masood Malik member CRPC, Qazi Tanveer Divisional President Paramedic Hazara, were among the other speakers. 

In concluding remarks DCO Abbottabad appreciated Sungi for arranging the seminar. He said that district government had already notified 18 members CRPC. The Council is very efficient to keep the rates under control and ensure provision of quality items/services for the consumer.  

He further said that CRPC had chalked down their strategy to meet various service providers in order to ensure quality food items/services with appropriate rate approved by the district government. He requested all the participants to keep vigilant eyes on the rate list and check rate list, date of expiry and receipt of the items purchased. He further said that a strong governance system is the only solution to all the issues of consumers.