COURTS

MC chief pays fine
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Nov 16 — Mr S.S. Sandhu, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, has deposited Rs 4,000 as fine for non-compliance of a District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum order. With the depositing of the amount the arrest warrant issued against him stands cancelled.

The Forum had issued the conditional warrants in October this year. It had stated that Mr Sandhu either pay the fine or undergo an imprisonment of three months for not implementing an order passed by the Forum in April this year. The orders had directed the MC to give the possession of a plot to a complainant, Ms Surinder Kaur, whose case was fought by Punjab Khapatkar Sangh.

The last date for depositing the fine amount was October 17, but since the officer failed to do so, the Forum issued arrest warrants. However, a counsel of the MC later approached the Forum with the plea that they were given the last date as November 17 and not October.

The counsel gave an application for cancellation of the arrest warrants and fine, but it was turned down by the Forum. The Forum held the October date as correct and told the MC to implement the two orders.

According to sources, the MC has also given possession of the plot to the complainant.

Consumer forum orders go unexecuted
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Nov 16 — The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum is facing a piquant situation as a number of decisions taken by it against outstation companies have gone unexecuted.

Nearly 60 arrest warrants have been issued against the owners or authorities of these companies but even these could not force them to pay compensation as directed by the forum.

Sources revealed that a majority of the unexecuted orders were against a company Pal Peugeots Limited which had more than 30 orders against it . The Madras-based company had announced the launching of a car three years ago. A number of residents of the city had deposited about Rs 20,000 as booking fee for the car which never arrived in the market.

Other cases were related to transport companies. Sources in the forum said that due to procedural problems, the companies were succeeding in escaping the payment of compensation as awarded by the forum.

According to the system, the forum sends the order by post which most of the time are not accepted by the person concerned as he conveniently feigns absence. The Consumer Forum then writes to the police officers of the area concerned but that too does not bring any result.

Mr Hardial Singh, president of the Consumer Forum, commenting on the scenario said directions against outstation companies go unexecuted as most of the time the company authorities do not receive the orders which are returned. He said to counter this, the Consumer Forum sends the orders through the Senior Superintendent of Police of the area but this system too on occasions fails to provide the desired results.