Team Herald
MARGAO: GOACAN has expressed concern about the Deposit Refund Scheme (DRS) promoted by the Environment Department due to its implications for consumers who purchase products in the market and as taxpayers in their respective village panchayats and municipal councils.
It may be noted that the DRS was notified on August 16, 2024 in the official Gazette without extensive consultations with all stakeholders concerned.
After the village-based consumer forum volunteers informed that there has been no discussion at the fortnightly village panchayat meetings, the gram sabha meetings held quarterly as well as the meetings of the Municipal Councils, GOACAN has decided to write to the Director Panchayats Siddhi Halarnkar and the Director Municipal Administration Brijesh Manerkar on the issue.
“As the DRS involves charging a fee over and above the Maximum Retail Price (MRP), this will result in a violation of the Packaged Commodities Rules and will result in traders/retailers being fined for violation of the rules. This will result in conflicts between retailers and consumers, moreover Goa being a popular Tourism destination this will also see tourists being drawn in such conflicts,” said Roland Martins, GOACAN coordinator.
GOACAN will write to the Controller Legal Metrology Department Arun Panchwadkar and the Director Department of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Jayant Tari to examine the scheme details in the context of the provisions of the Packaged Commodities Rules and the Consumer Protection Act 2019 respectively.
In view of DRS being proposed to be implemented in Goa as the first State in the country, GOACAN will also write to the Environment Director Johnson Fernandes with a request to keep the implementation of the Scheme and the Expression of Interest (EOI) in abeyance till comprehensive stakeholder consultations are held in the State.