Punjab government failed to implement the Consumer Protection Ordinance-2007, promulgated in February this year to ensure protection to the consumers' rights as it did not establish all the requisite institutions.
Similarly no proper arrangements were made by the district government to keep the prices under control and to eradicate the profiteering, hoarding, black marketing, adulteration, checking of the substandard, unhygienic, toxic daily use items.
Rana Abdul Sattar Chairman of Consumer Protection Society (CPS) pointed out that till today neither the Consumer Council as provided in section 11 has been established nor the Consumer Tribunals and the Appellate Tribunals designated in sections 17 and 24 of the Ordinance have been formed.
He said that social welfare legislation is meant to promote social justice - a hallmark of every welfare state. Consumer protection laws fall in the category of legislation, which promotes the concept of social justice by providing redress to the vulnerable segment of the society against exploitative methods and tendencies of the trading community.
Talking to newsmen here on Saturday he said that the consumers are still without any remedy against their grievances, and called for steps to fulfil the constitutional mandate of the ordinance and provide the long awaited remedy to the consumers - the most deprived section of our society.
Rana Sattar said that consumer protection legislation is in force in the neighbouring country India since last two decades, which provided relief to the millions of consumers there. But in Pakistan the consumer protection legislation's are still in experimental stage.
"Consumers continue to be exploited by dishonest and unscrupulous traders on account of lack of awareness about their rights, cumbersome procedures for redressal and absence of competent and swift machinery for enforcement of existing laws."
Rana further said that 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. Some manufacturers use non-food grade plastics and old rusted tins for packing cooking oils.
Unscrupulous manufacturers refill empty bottles and tins of branded products, Supari manufacturers using textile colours in their products, which cause cancer and spurious and sub-standard products are being produced and marketed under popular brand names. Unfortunately, in Pakistan, the biggest enemy of the consumers are the consumer themselves, as they do not check or demand quality and accept whatever is sold to them.