In last 17 months till August, Legal Metrology Dept conducts 20,391 inspections, registering over 5,000 cases.
Despite the prevalence of digital weighing machines, fraud in weights and measurements remains rampant in the city. Customers continue to be deceived on everyday essentials like steel, iron, petrol, fertilisers, rice, sugar, and pulses.
Although there are laws in place to prevent such malpractice, the Legal Metrology Department has struggled to shield consumers from a well-organised network of fraudulent vendors, with the absence of stringent regulations still leaving gaps in consumer protection.
Sources said that the trend of cheating in weights and measurements has persisted despite the implementation of legal safeguards. During the last 17 months up to August, the Legal Metrology Department conducted 20,391 inspections in Bengaluru Urban district, registering 5,375 cases and imposing fines amounting to `1.79 crore.
Between April and August 2024 alone, officials conducted 4,912 inspections, filed 1,398 cases, and collected `39.10 lakh in fines. An official said, “The types of violations identified include failure to renew official stamping within specified intervals, selling goods with incorrect weights or measures, faulty auto meters, and unlabeled packaged products. Cases
have been registered under Legal Metrology Act rules for each of these offenses.”
The department has also intensified its checks on auto meters and petrol bunks. In October, officials identified 62 instances of meter fraud in the BBMP limits, imposing `2.92 lakh in fines on two stations alone. Additionally, officials conducted checks on 10,721 auto meters, imposing fines on 2,997 violators. Over the past 17 months, inspections on petrol stations, including stations in Dasanapura and Basavanagudi, led to the registration of 963 cases, with penalties totaling `15.12 lakh. Checks at KFCSC godowns and fair-price shops resulted in 138 cases and fines amounting to `5.99 lakh.
We are encouraging consumers to file complaints if they suspect violations. If violations recur, cases will go to the courts –Official
“We are encouraging consumers to file complaints if they suspect violations. If violations recur despite fines, cases willgo to the courts. Consumers must pay attention to measurements and report suspicions through www.emapan.karnataka.gov.in " an official added.
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