The plight of consumers

The absence of consumer protection act has left the consumers at the mercy of unscrupulous traders who have flooded the markets with substandard and injurious to health food and other items of daily use. At a time when the prices are soaring to unbearable limits, consumers of average means fall easy victims by purchasing low priced merchandise, unmindful of the grave consequences and harm such goods could bring to them.
Although the consumers have been provided with the Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan (CRCP), a platform where they could question anything which they feel goes against their interest; the main problem is that there is no consumer protection act in Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan. Punjab is the only province where Consumer Protection Act 2005 has been implemented. Moreover there is no awareness amongst the consumers and they don't know their rights.
The CRCP airs the sentiments of the consumers at various forums and has played an effective role in looking after their interests. In today's world, the consumers could contribute towards enforcement of quality standards by understanding their rights and responsibilities and shaking off their apathy. Most of the consumers usually use the substandard things because they find themselves helpless.
Due to their ignorance, they get goods which could immensely harm their health. These are the reasons why Pakistani products are losing credibility at home and in foreign markets. Even the multinationals are taking advantage of this pathetic situation. Unfortunately for consumers in Pakistan, not many newspapers highlight consumer vows. News items and features affecting consumer interests are not prominently displayed.
The government and judiciary have also failed to protect the rights and interest of the helpless consumers. When asked about the consumer protection laws Abdul Ghaffar Soomro Director General of Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) said that, Consumer Protection Organisations around the world are very active and governments, the judiciary and the media have encouraged and supported their activities by introducing and promoting strict consumer protection laws.
Unfortunately, in Pakistan, there is only one Consumer Protection Law in Punjab, which was introduced in 2005. This law clearly defines the guidelines to protect consumer interests, but as the old saying goes, if laws that are not enforced, they will never be obeyed.
As lack the political will to enforce laws, like most of other laws, this law has been totally ignored, both by manufacturers and even the government itself and remains ineffective. The laws and legislations appear to be unable to address consumer related problems and achieve their envisaged goals. The acts have not yet been fully implemented and the envisaged councils have not been set up and, therefore, their existence is meaningless for consumers.
Furthermore, the burden of costs against the consumer for the testing or analysing alleged defective goods would again serve to deter the ordinary consumer from seeking a remedy under the law.
When asked about the consumer protection organisations Mr Hamid Maker of Helpline Trust said that, due to the lack of consumer protection laws and the lack of government support, there are only three active Consumer Protection Organisations that are working on consumer issues, two are Islamabad based and one is in Karachi, Consumer Protection Council of Helpline Trust.
However, developed countries and even those in our region, consumer protection is a serious business, especially in India, where the Indian government has given full support to the consumers in this respect and has a separate ministry for it since 1986.
The scenario in Pakistan is not very promising for the consumers, since they are provided with low quality, unsafe and hazardous goods and services. There are only 40 food inspectors in Pakistan. Substandard vegetable ghee is being sold in the market under various brand names.
Is the water available for drinking purposes in various localities being tested at regular intervals and is it really fit for human consumption? The food colours are genuine or textile colours are used instead of food colours? Besides these questions other products like milk, flour, grains, spices, juices and sweets, and a large number of other items were found to be adulterated.
There are only 18 accredited labs in Pakistan and there is only one out of ten accredited labs under PSQCA. Due to the lack of consumer protection laws and the defective enforcement of the existing food and drug laws, Pakistan has become a dumping ground for semi expired food and beverages. As there is no accountability or legal check, the gullible citizens are being misled by glossy and misleading advertisements.
Callous manufacturers and wholesalers play havoc with the health and lives of the consumers and the markets are full of counterfeit, sub-standard and adulterated products, beverages and medicines, which are being marketed openly in the cities without any fear of punishment.
Some manufacturers use second grade, non-food grade tinplates and old, rusted tins for packing cooking oils. And unscrupulous manufacturers refill empty bottles and tins of branded products to cheat the consumers and spurious and sub-standard products are being produced and marketed under the popular brand names.
When asked how to create awareness among the citizens, Mr Soomro said that, the first step when making a purchase is buy from a reputed store, check manufacture and expiry date, net and gross weight, check seals and packing, check the PSQCA logo on packing of cooking oils, bottled water, biscuits and carbonated beverages and always demand a cash memo.
Recently MNA Yasmeen Rehman raised a question about the quality of baby food and feeders. Mr Soomro said that the baby food and feeders have not been certified yet. We have made 6000 standards and regulate the quality of 50 products, which include cooking oil, bottled water, beverages, biscuits, confectionery, etc but baby food and feeders are not included in this list.
It has to be made mandatory for these products to be registered with PSQCA, confirm their standards and carry the PS- Monogram logo on the package. The lack of enforcement of laws has also tarnished our image in the international community and has had a negative effect on the investment climate. There is a need to promote quality, standards, good manufacturing practices and corporate social responsibility.