KATHMANDU: Industry, Commerce and Supplies Minister Damodar Bhandari has said that the establishment of consumer court is a special priority of the government in the coming fiscal year.

While receiving a memorandum from the Consumer Rights Protection and Good Governance Department of CPN (UML) in the ministry today, he said that the topic of consumer court has been mentioned in the government’s policies and programs, and since the budget has been ensured, it will be established in the coming year.

Minister Bhandari mentioned that even though market monitoring and other activities are being carried out by the ministry, they have not been effective.

He argued that after the establishment of the consumer court, the market monitoring will be easy and reliable.

The team led by the head of the department, Jitu Gautam, submitted a 15-point memorandum letter to Minister Bhandari demanding the immediate establishment of the consumer court to guarantee speedy justice to the consumers.

The memo also demanded setting up a mechanism in a consumer-friendly manner, from the producer or importer to the consumer, ending the inappropriate involvement and profit taking tendency of middlemen in all types of goods and services.

The letter further demands for controlling misleading advertisements, fraud in prices and measurements and effective monitoring mechanism.