UP govt agrees to Consumer forum’s demands, `strike’ off

LUCKNOW, NOV 25: Uttar Pradesh Consumer Protection Commission president Justice K.C. Bhargava and member D.D. Bahuguna have agreed to end ...

LUCKNOW, NOV 25: Uttar Pradesh Consumer Protection Commission president Justice K.C. Bhargava and member D.D. Bahuguna have agreed to end their “strike” and resume work on Monday following an assurance by state Food and Supplies Minister Chowdhary Narendra Singh, to provide the Commission with all the facilities that they have been asking for.

An agreement to this effect was reached at a meeting convened by the minister today with Justice Bhargava and Bahuguna and Director of the forum, Adarsh Kumar Srivastava. Senior officers of his department also attended the meeting.

Both Justice Bhargava and Bahuguna had been on “strike” since November 22 in protest against the lack of essential facilities, staff and budgetary support to the forum.

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Speaking to The Indian Express, Chowdhary Narendra Singh said PrincipalSecretary Naveen Chandra Bajpayee and Special Secretary Veena of the Consumer Affairs department had been told to provide all the facilities essential for the smooth functioning of the commission, at once.

Justice Bhargava and Bahuguna had sent letters to Chief SecretaryBhola Nath Tiwari, Registrar of the National Consumer Disputes RedressalCommission, Registrar of the High Court and the Director of the state’sConsumer Protection Directorate, informing them about their “strike”.

They had also stated that the entire working of the Commission’s judicial wing would remain suspended till the government provided them with an adequate number of stenos, PAs, other staff and the budgetary support and fulfill other requirements. In the past too, the Commission had written many letters to senior officials in this regard but their request had fallen on deaf ears. The minister had asked for all the communication between senior officials and the Commission on Thursday last and found the officials at fault. It was after Chief Minister Rajnath Singh’s directive that the Food Minister convened a meeting of senior officials and Justice Bhargava and Bahuguna and agreed to provide all facilities.