New Delhi: Keeping in view the unauthorised sale of weighing and measuring instruments on e-commerce sites, the Centre has issued show cause notices to the manufacturers and importers for seeking details of compliance.
As per the Consumer affairs department, Legal Metrology has issued 63 show-cause notices to the concerned manufacturers and importers.
Such unauthorised sales on e-commerce sites have not only created deficiency in service to the consumer but have also caused revenue loss to the government, said the department on Tuesday.
To protect and safeguard the interest of consumers, the manufacturers/importers of the weighing and measuring instrument are required to get the approval of model (Section 22) of their weighing & measuring instrument, manufacturing license (Section 23)/ importer registration (Section 19) and verification/stamping of weighing and measuring instrument (Section 24) under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009.
Further the declarations on the pre-package and e-commerce platform of such instruments need to comply with the provisions (Rule 6) of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities), Rules 2011.
Officials said that the approval of model of the weighing and measuring instruments, manufacturing license, importer registration and verification is mandatory in the interest of consumers and to regulate trade and commerce. Further the mandatory declaration of the product needs to be made on the pre-package commodity and e-commerce platform for the consumers to make an informed choice.
The manufacturer and importer is required to maintain the records of the number of such instruments and their parts and the details of verification fees paid to the government.
Violation of these provisions of the Legal Metrology Act is punishable under Section 32 (Failure to get approval of model), Section 45 (penalty for manufacture of weight and measure without license), Section 38 (Penalty for non-registration by importer of weight or measure), Section 33 (Penalty for use of unverified weight or measure) and Section 36 (Penalty for selling of non-standard packages) with fine or imprisonment or with both.
(IANS)
