VIRUDHUNAGAR: In the wake of the recent incident in which a Virudhunagar resident fell ill after eating a nuts and dry fruits mix that had worms inside, and taking note of the fact that the shop owner was unaware of the dealer's whereabouts, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Srivilliputhur recommended the district collector to ensure that shopkeepers in Virudhunagar are selling food products after verifying the details and address of the manufacturers.
The verdict was passed by President SJ Chakkkaravarthy and member M Muthulakshmi in a petition filed by K Muthupandi, a Virudhunagar resident, against A Perumal, the owner of a South Indian Filter Coffee franchise near Madurai and owner of a food trading company in Chennai.
Muthupandi, who had purchased two boxes of nuts and dry fruits mix containing almonds, cashews, salt pista, and dry grapes for Rs 880, fell ill after consuming it on February 15. After spotting worms in the mix, he sent a legal notice to both the respondents seeking compensation for deficiency in service. While Perumal received the notice, the one sent to the trader was sent back to the petitioner due to incorrect address.
Later, the commission published an announcement in the paper seeking the trader to appear before the panel. However, the trader failed to turn up, and when the commission inquired about the trader with Perumal, he replied that he was unaware about the whereabouts of the trader.
"Selling poor quality food products to the public and not knowing the dealer's address from whom the products were procured is an unethical trade practice," the commission noted.
Considering the deficiency in service, the forum directed the owner of the coffee franchise to refund Rs 880, the cost of nuts and dry fruits, to the respondent. Further, it imposed a joint fine of Rs 15,000 on the two respondents for causing mental agony and material loss to the consumer, and Rs 5,000 for litigation expenses.
In a bid to protect the consumers, the panel also recommended the district collector, who is also the chairperson of the District Consumer Protection Council, to ensure that the shop owners who sell food products in Virudhunagar district are selling the products after verifying the details and address of the manufacturers.