Hyderabad: MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi said that the Consumer Protection Bill, 2019, which was passed by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, proves that government has succumbed to the medical lobby.
Opposing the amendments to the Bill, Mr Owaisi said, “I am astonished that the government which has 303 members in the Lok Sabha bowed down before the medical lobby.”
Mr Owaisi said that when the Bill was passed in the House in 2016, health care services were included in the definition of service. “You have removed it in the amendments,” he pointed out. “In these circumstances, a woman who becomes a widow will have to approach civil court for indemnity for her children. Who will pay the fee for an advocate and the court fee? Will government will bear the expenses,” he asked.
Mr Owaisi said that the 1986 Consumer Protection Act gave reservations for women which government had deleted now.
“The world knows that women are always in the forefront of consumer protection,” he said. He pointed out that the preamble of the Act mentioned that it was meant to provide “better protection” to a consumer.
“Why has government removed the word ‘better’,” Mr Owaisi asked.
Mr Owaisi alleged that Section 18 (2) of the Bill can be used against companies. “You will constitute an inquiry into any company which has not given an electoral bond. You are taking away every power,” he said.
Mr Owaisi said that the new Bill did not clarify about the fate of cases pending before the district, state and national commissions.
He wanted to know whether the time period of 45 days for intimating the opposite party about the admission of the case was mandatory or discretionary, because the Supreme Court was going to hear the matter on the same issue.
He said that the Bill provided that any person aggrieved by the award passed by the commission is required to pay 50 per cent of the award for appealing to the higher authority.
“This will create hardship. It is better to leave it to the commission instead of making it mandatory,” Mr Owaisi said.
He said that the bill proposes the establishment of a central consumer protection council, but is silent on howmany members would be on the council. He asked the government for the criteria for the selection of members. “Why is the Centre interfering in the constitution of councils in the states?” he asked.
