Data collected by the consumer forums reveals that till December 2006, the total number of disputes filed at the forums against real estate companies offering residential/ commercial accommodation and plots stood at 127. By December last year, this figure had jumped to 1,117, an increase of eight times.

Most of the complaints against the real estate companies are regarding failure to construct the flats/ commercial spaces in the stipulated period or failure to give possession of the residential/ commercial plots on time. In hundreds of cases each year, Tricity residents have knocked at the doors of the courts, seeking justice against these defaulting companies.

Speaking to Newsline, UT Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission President Justice (Retd) Sham Sunder said that most complaints arise as housing firms do not meet buyers’ expectations of giving possession of flats or plots on time. “People deposit hard earned money. But when companies do not fulfill their commitments, the buyers come to us for justice. The consumer movement in the city is very strong. Also, the Chandigarh consumer courts rank among the top ones in the country in timely disposal of complaints,” he said.

From 2006 to 2011, the maximum complaints filed at the district consumer forums have been against banks, medical care providers, insurance companies and real estate firms. Banks top the list, with an 11-fold increase in the number of cases filed against them from 2006 to 2011.

Statistics reveal that till 2006, the total number of cases against banks stood at 147. The figure increased to 1,809 by 2011, registering an increase by more than 11 times. The majority of disputes against banks are regarding wrong calculations made by them regarding loans, over-charging of interest and regarding credit cards.

In the last one year, another curious category emerged in complaints against banks. It was observed that in even minor disputes over credit card bills, the names of the clients were forwarded by the banks to Credit Information Bureau (India) Limited. The names of these clients were then put by CIBIL in its defaulters’ list, which is available to all major banks and financial institutions. The clients came to know that their name is in the CIBIL defaulters’ list when they sought a loan for buying a car, a house or other purposes and it was rejected. In some cases, this happened even after disputes with the banks were resolved. These these clients sued the banks for tarnishing their reputation.

During the last five years, cases of medical negligence too have increased considerably in Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali. The number of complaints filed in the consumer fora against hospitals and doctors stood at 39 in 2006. By 2011, the number had increased to 1,061. Similarly, there has been an eight-fold increase in complaints against insurance companies in the last five years. Most of these pertain to motor or health insurance.