Consumer Protection Society Multan (CPSM) on Wednesday observed the World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) to express solidarity with the consumers movement.
Rana Abdul Sattar, Chairman, CPSM while addressing a meeting here said that consumers rights were being usurped in Pakistan in connivance with the concerned departments.
People are forced to purchase substandard, adulterated, unhygienic and underweight items on exorbitant rates. Nothing was available on the prices fixed by the district governments, he said, adding that market committees were also involved in money minting from the hoarders, profiteers and black marketers. He said that the Consumer Protection Society had planned to organise a resistance group to meet the situation and appealed to the consumers to reduce the use of sugar till the normalisation of its rates and use minimum beef and mutton to bring the prices of meat down to affordable level.
The day is being observed internationally since 1983 to promote the basic rights of consumers and demanding to respect and protect their rights, and to highlight the unethical practices, lack of legislation and regulatory framework and to sensitise the authorities about the consumers issues.