30 years of consumer activism

(By A Staff Reporter)

A group of professionals came together 30 years ago in Madras to form the Consumer Action Group (CAG, later renamed the Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group). CAG was promoted to help the consumer take care of his interests even before the Consumer Protection Act was enacted in the country. The moving spirit behind this movement was a young lawyer, Sriram Panchu, who roped in his senior Govind Swaminadhan, Senior Advocate and former Advocate General of Tamil Nadu, to be one of the governing trustees. The initial trustees were S. Guhan (former Finance Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu), S.L.Rao (former Chairman, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission), Shyamala Nataraj (development journalist with the South India Aids Action Program) and of course Sriram Panchu.
Several months down the line, a photography exhibition was held in 1986 that highlighted the significant civic problems ordinary citizens faced in Chennai.

The exhibition revealed the ambitious goals of its organisers and also that CAG meant business. CAG’s founding trustees took a much more expansive view of the consumer than traditional consumer protection organisations. Rather than focus only on the rights of those who paid for particular goods and services, CAG saw all residents of Chennai as consumers of goods and services provided by the Government. CAG was created to fight for a city that was more responsive to the needs of all of its residents.
Over the years, the organisation has been a leader in issues ranging from not only consumer protection but also electricity, urban planning, environmental issues like water management and protection of natural resources, and issues related to public health such as road safety and pharmaceuticals. CAG has relentlessly engaged with these issues, sometimes over decades, which has led to continued and sustained impacts.
CAG’s strategies are based on rigorous studies and research. An early study in 1987 uncovered vital safety issues in the city’s blood banks and resulted in tighter regulation and enforcement by the Government. Audits in 2004 on government healthcare institutions led to CAG being invited to join the State Level Advisory Committee on Biomedical Waste (Management and Handling) in Tamil Nadu. A study on dubious promotional practices among pharmaceutical companies led to CAG helping the Government to draft rules to reform such practices. A survey on bus transport in 1995 led to the government mandating uniform and legible bus colours.
From the mid-1990s, CAG began to take a more bottom up approach, empowering communities through public meetings and educational materials. Since CAG’s inception, qualified legal professionals have provided free counselling to consumers seeking redress.
The Group is best known for important public interest litigations it filed in the city’s courts and the Supreme Court, especially on issues affecting public health and the environment. For example, after founding the Joint Action Forum for Safety on Roads in 1989, CAG successfully filed a case against dangerous road obstructions. CAG has also filed a number of seminal cases against environmental degradation in the city, including on the cutting of trees for the East Coast Road, and on construction in the delicate estuary of the Adyar River.
It has highlighted illegal constructions, including a successful campaign against the construction of a five star hotel in the city.
Last year brought a sharp focus on issues facing the urban poor, as well as a new set of tools within CAG, to create change. A group of researchers has joined the team from Transparent Chennai. They have brought with them their track record of working on issues facing the urban poor.
To celebrate its eventful 30 years, CAG invited Justice Dr.  S Muralidhar and Prashant Bhushan, the legal activist, to deliver lectures recently. There were also panel discussions with experts. Looking at the eager young faces attending the function, it can be said that CAG can step into the future boldly.

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