'Beware of new metrology rules'

While some fight against this discrimination, many smuggly pay the amount and walk off. The majority keep mum because they do not know whether the shopkeeper is right in charging ‘cooling charge’ or it is the violation.

Clarifying the same, Legal Metrology Inspector Gajendra Adke said that no shop vendor can charge additional amount from the stipulated amount mentioned on the pack.

In case of such violations, the vendors will have to pay a sum of Rs 2,500 as penalty.
He said that if a bottle of packaged water is sold at Rs 40 in a restaurant, it cannot be called violation but the same bottle sold at same cost in a mall is a violation because of the service factor.

Mandatory

According to the Legal Metrology Act 2011, every product has to carry on it mandatory information such as the address mentioning Door Number, street, area, city and pin code. Even one of the points missing can be considered as a violation.

The pack should have the product content declaration, production declaration such as the year, month of manufacturing, packing or import, taxes included, standard units in metre, centimetre, millimetre (feet and inches not allowed), Customer care number with specified designation of person to be contacted.

In case of these violation, the manufacturer, wholeseller, retailer, vendor will be penalised. From the Company, according to the old Act the director could be penalised but according to the Act of 2011, the company can nominate one person as person responsible for the same so that the Department can penalise just him.

“Any commodity which is less than 10ml/10 gm does not come under the bracket of the Act. Products given in places as compliment (example packed water in trains) are exempted. LPG (14.5 kg) cylinders are exempted from the rule,” said Legal Metrology Assistant Director M N Hipparagi adding that the ammended Act was enforced in April 2011 and hence cases will not be booked till September 30, 2011 so as to give the traders adequate time to be aware of the new Act.