A regional office of the state consumer affairs department is all set to start at Chanchal, a subdivisional town around 75km from Malda district headquarters, this week.

The decision has been made by the department in response to the plea of school students actively working to generate consumer rights awareness in Chanchal for years now.

Sadhan Pande, state consumer affairs minister, will inaugurate this new office along with five other such offices that are coming up in other districts of Bengal, on Wednesday.

Sources said students of Siddheswari Institution, a well-known state-aided Bengali medium higher secondary school, had filed an application with the department some two years back, seeking an office in Chanchal.

Students, who had been running a consumer club in the school for 14 years, felt that people residing in the subdivision find it difficult to file a consumer-related complaint and pursue it.

Tuski Das, president of the school’s consumer club, said: “The nearest office of the department is at the district headquarters 75km from here (in Malda town). In the course of our campaign, people would tell us that even if they feel dissatisfied with the quality of a product or service or feel cheated, they do not feel like filing complaints as it means going to Malda on a regular basis, for which they would have to spend time and money,” Tuski said.

“We felt that setting up an office of the consumer affairs department for residents of the six blocks of Chanchal subdivision can help people file complaints and pursue cases without much inconvenience,” she added.

Biplab Sarkar, an assistant director of the department posted in Malda, confirmed about the upcoming office in Chanchal. “A regional office of the department will be opened on the first floor of the regulated market building in Chanchal. The minister will inaugurate it through video-conferencing on September 16.”

Siddheswari Institution, a 132-year-old school, is known for its academics and social activities. Its consumer club is mentored by teacher Kamalkrishna Das and has 90 student-members. The club has bagged the award for best performance for seven consecutive years in the district from among 30-odd such clubs.

“Students from Classes IX to XII are eligible for club membership. We host seminars, put out posters on consumer rights, pay visits to localities on Saturdays after school hours to generate awareness among people,” said Das.

District officials have appreciated the school club’s efforts that led to such a breakthrough. “This (the regional office of the consumer affairs department) will help thousands of people. We must praise the students’ initiative and their consistency in holding consumer awareness events,” said Arnab Chatterjee, Malda additional district magistrate (development).