(Unlicensed contractors in weighing business...continued)


“More than 50 per cent of the contracts of big companies go to such contractors due to which genuine contractors like us who have required licenses lose out,” said a contractor who has been working for more than two decades.

Another young contractor said that this has affected the deserving and qualified young contractors badly. “They bribe officials and get contracts signed with big companies including government companies,” he added. Both of them requested for anonymity for possible harassment by the department.

Through verification certificates received through RTIs, it seems that the department is aware that these illegal contractors are repairing EWMs. After a weighing machine is corrected, it has to be verified and stamped by the department official, who then issues a certificate as acknowledgment.

The contractors who work under the Legal Metrology department play an important role as they have to check commercial weights and measures for accuracy at least once a year so that customers don’t get cheated. Since electronic machines require even greater precision, the government had made it mandatory that only those contractors who hold licenses can do so.

 “Contractors may not be qualified but it is the responsibility of the Dept to verify who is doing the repair and Calibration in the field,” said Ravindra Guru, a consumer rights activist and Secretary of Consumer Care Society. But till date the officials have not responded to the mail sent and repeated phone calls made about the issue. Birendar Kumar, deputy controller of Legal Metrology department promised to reply to the e-mail when told about the issue, but he has not responded to it yet.

The practice will affect the common consumer, as most of the commercial shops use EWMs. These weighing machines need expertise to repair it to perfection. If unqualified contractors repair the machine, there is a chance that they do not repair it with the required precision. .

“As far as consumers are concerned it is a big loss to them,” said Ashok Halagalli, an advocate and consumer rights activist. Any discrepancy in measurement of goods can mean that the consumer will be getting less than what they are paying for. “Faulty weighing machines will help traders cheat customers,” he said.

“It should be stopped as it is illegal,” said Y G Murlidharan, Consumer Advocate, Director, Consumer Rights Education and Awareness Trust (CREAT).

“Hearing this, I don’t know whether I get the value for my money as far as the quantity is concerned,” said Harish M S, a resident of Kalyan Nagar, Bangalore. If these weighing machines are not checked properly, all the consumers will lose out a bit with every purchase, he said.

The contractors are supposed to have a Diploma in electronics or other equivalent qualification, according to a circular issued by the department in 2006. But it has been said that many of these contractors do not have the required qualification.