Ref. : ER/Press/2004/WCRight/dG/15

World Consumer Rights Day in City on Monday

Three prominent, Ahmedabad-based consumer organisations — Consumer Education and Research Society (CERS), Consumer Protection Council (CPC), and Manekchowk Grahak Suraksha Mandal — will observe World Consumer Rights Day on Monday 15 March in cooperation with the State Government-run Consumer Protection Agency of Gujarat (CAPAG) and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Ahmedabad.

A rally will be held on the Day which will leave the Mahatma Gandhi statue at 3 p.m. and hold a public meeting at 4 p.m. at the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) hall, both on Ashram Road, Ahmedabad.

The objective of their commemorating the Day, which is observed worldwide on 15 March, is to create people’s awareness about consumer rights and protection.

Mr. Justice M. S. Parikh, President, Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Gujarat State, will inaugurate the public meeting, which will be presided over by Mr. S. K. Nanda, I.A.S., Principal Secretary, Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Government of Gujarat.

Mr. F. P. Halani, Controller of Legal Metrology, Gujarat State, and Mr. Devendra Mohan, Director, BIS, Ahmedabad, will also address the meeting.

Consumer protection organisations will be represented among the speakers by Prof. Manubhai Shah, Chairman Emeritus, Consumer Education and Research Centre, Dr. C. J. Shishoo, Trustee, Testing Organisation for Research in Chemicals and Health Hazards (TORCH), the in-house comparative product testing laboratory on the CERC campus, Ms Ushaben Sanghvi (CPC), and Mr. Manojbhai Shah (Manekchowk Grahak Suraksha Mandal).

The Consumers International, London, a federation of 250 consumer organisations in 115 countries, has adopted ‘Water is a Consumer Right’ as the theme for World Consumer Rights Day this Year. The Right to Satisfaction of Basic Needs includes the Right to Water. The first priority of all governments should be to make safe and affordable drinking and wastewater services available to all consumers.

It is now globally felt that water sector reforms must be assessed from the vantage point of consumer protection — and can be improved by the promotion of water as a consumer right. Dr. Shishoo, former Principal of the L. M. Pharmacy College, will speak on ‘Promotion of Water as a Consumer Right’ at the public meeting on Monday.

Date : 13 March 2004
Place : Ahmedabad

Pritee Shah
Editor
INSIGHT - The Consumer Magazine

————————————————————————————————
Opinions, test results and research findings issued through this Press Release cannot be used in any form directly or indirectly for advertising, promotional or commercial purpose.

CONSUMER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH SOCIETY
“Suraksha Sankool”, Thaltej, Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway, Ahmedabad- 380 054 (INDIA)
Phone: 079-27489945-46 Fax: 079-27489947
E-mail: cerc@wilnetonline.net
Web Site: http://www.cercindia.org
————————————————————————————————-