Jammu : Acting swiftly on the direction of Controller Legal Metrology, Rajinder Singh Tara, Legal Metrology Enforcement, Jammu, has imposed a penalty of Rs. 2 lakh on a firm for supplying and marketing retail packages of wheat flour (Atta) with average lesser net quantity of 160g in each 10 kg bag.
The department has taken this action following a complaint alleging that a particular pre-packaged commodity sold in the market was lesser than the declared net quality.
On the basis of the complaint, the matter was swiftly investigated by the department and upon quantity measurement testing, it was established that net content of pre-packaged bags sold in the market was 160g lesser in net quantity on an average basis against the declared net quantity of 10kg. This was a serious infringement of consumer right and volatile of some of provisions of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 and the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011. By supplying lesser than declared net quantity, the firm not only breached the customer trust but also violated the legal provisions of laws.
In view of this, the Legal Metrology Enforcement Unit, Jammu, under the overall supervision of the Controller, has registered this case against the concerned firm and issued a notice to the defaulter.
On receiving the notice of the department, the concerned defaulting supplier firm admitted violations and applied for departmental compounding which a legal remedy under the Act for first such offence within three years. The case against the firm was compounded and a penal sum of Rs. 2,00,000/- was realised on assurance from the firm for immediate compliance of net content correction of stocks as mandated under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009and Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011.
In a hand-out issued, Rajinder Singh Tara, Controller Legal Metrology, reaffirmed the department’s commitment to consumer protection and fair trade practices, particularly in the rapidly growing sector.
The Controller further assured that the department will continue its rigorous inspections and enforcement actions to ensure compliance with the regulatory nor He emphasized the importance of verifiable product information and net content accuracy with respect to declared net quantity particularly pre-packaged commodities, to protect consumers rights from deception.
As per the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, the manufacturers, packers, importers, suppliers and sellers are legally bound to ensure that the consumers must receive the exact quantity of products for which he/she is paying for. Besides, there should be a set of accurate information printed on all the products.
Further, the Legal Metrology Department has advised the consumers to be aware of while making purchases, and in case of any related grievance/doubt on net quantity front or any declaration on the packages, they can approach the department J&K for redressal.
