Legal Metrology : Rs 5.15 lakh collected as fine

In the year 2011, Alappuzha Legal Metrology Flying Squad had inspected a number of trade premises and booked 84 cases for violating various provisions of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009, related rules and collected a compounding fee of Rs 5,15,150, according to a press release by Assistant Controller JC Jeeson.

To safeguard the consumer rights, a number of bar hotels were inspected and booked cases for using of fraudulent peg measure for short measurement and for charging excess price to packaged commodities and soft drinks.

During this Christmas & New Year festival season, a number of shops were inspected. A bakery shop had offered for sale plum cakes in packaged form without declarations as per Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 – Name of the Commodity, MRP, Net Weight/measure, Packed date, Address of the Packer/manufacturer, Consumer care address & telephone number. The trader was fined on the spot.

For sale of packages without declarations and packing without packer registration as per Packaged Commodities Rules were seized and collected a fine of Rs 1.29 lakh.

During Inspections at various market places for use of unverified weighing/measuring instruments for trade, 30 cases were booked and collected a fine of Rs 1.02 lakh.

For making advertisements using non-standard units – inch, feet, sovereign, cents – instead of the standard units – metre, kilogram, second, litre – cases has been registered and recovered Rs 1.15 lakh as fine.

The inspections were lead by Assistant Controller JC Jeeson, and Yujin Pasil KV, Inspector.

Legal Metrology related complaints can be reported to taluk level Inspector offices or to District level Assistant Controller (Ph : 0477 223 4647).