LEGAL METROLOGY & CONSUMER AFFAIRS

Description:-

The Department of Legal Metrology which was earlier known as Weight & Measures Department, came into existence in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in the seventy’s. With the growth of the infrastructure, man power and procurement of working standards sets and secondary standards set from the mint of Government of India, Bombay (Mumbai), the implementation work of Standards of Weights and Measures started in the state in the year, 1993. The Department started works like – annual re-verification of commercially used weights, measures, weighing and measuring instruments, inspection, surprise checking, seizures and irregularities detected etc.
In eighty’s, The standards of Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Act, 1985 came into force, Present Act, the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 is the amalgamation of the Standard Weights and Measures Act, 1976 and The Standard of Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Act, 1985, which came into force w.e.f. 1st April, 2011 in the whole territory of India. The Act provide for establishment of Standards on Metrology with reference to International system of Unit-Metric system and Regulation of Weights and Measures in commercial transaction or for protection or for public health and safety. The Legal Metrology Department is a Law Enforcement Department; hence the Government of Arunachal Pradesh made it a uniform department on the line of State Police in the year 2008.
For better implementation of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009, Arunachal is divided into 2 (two) zones, VIZ- East Zone, head quarter at Tezu and West Zone, head quarter at Naharlagun. East Zone includes Districts of Lower Dibang Valley, Dibang Valley, Lohit, Anjaw, Namsai, Changlang, Tirap and Longding. The West Zone consists of Districts Tawang, West Kameng, East Kameng, Papum Pare, Lower Subansiri, Kuru Kurume, Kra Dadi, Upper Subansari, West Siang and East Siang. There are 3 (Three) Deputy Controllers, one each in East Zone, West Zone and Head Office, Naharlagun beside the controller, who is leading the department in the state. There are 12 (twelve) Assistant Controllers and 16 (sixteen) Inspectors in the department.
Besides that, the department is doing Consumer Awareness Programmes by conducting seminars, group discussions in the District level, Circle level and Village level and also displaying Hoardings, Banners and distributing Booklets, Pamphlets for bringing awareness amongst the consumer.
During the year 2016-17, the Inspector of Legal Metrology & Consumer Affairs, Lohit District, Tezu collected a sum of Rs. 2,17,217/- (Rupees Two Lakhs seventeen thousand two hundred seventeen) collected as revenue from verification and stamping of weights and measures, No. of case detected for irregularities – 14 (fourteen), Compounding fine realized is Rs. 33,000/- (Rupees thirty three thousand), No. of trading unit verified – 362 (three hundred sixty two) (from April, 2016 to March 2017). During the year 2017-18, collected a sum of Rs. 1,62,226/- (Rupees one lakh sixty two thousand two hundred twenty six) only.
The Packaged Commodities Rules, 2011 has been framed under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 to regulate inter-state trade on packaged goods. Under the Rules, all packaged goods should carry mandatory declaration such as- net content or volume, name and address of the manufacturer, date of manufacturer, packaging expiry and Maximum Retail Price and Batch No. ETC.
Presently, in Arunachal Pradesh, the Department of Legal Metrology is the Nodal Department with regards to Consumer Protection Act, 1986. There are 16 (sixteen) District Forums throughout the State and 1 (one) State Commission in the state capital. All provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 came into force w.e.f. 1st July, 1987. Under the Act, a three tier quasi-judicial Consumer Dispute Redressal Machinery was established at national, state and district level. At national level agency is called The State Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (National Commission). The state level agency is called The State Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (State Commission) and the district level agency is known as District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum (District Forum). The Fora are mandate to provide – simple, speedy and in-expensive redressal of consumer grievances. In Arunachal Pradesh, the District Forum is headed by President (DC), one lady member and one male member in this district.
The Lohit District Consumer Redressal Forum has registered 4 (four) cases in the year 2016 and 2 (two) cases in the year 2017 & since inception, it has registered 168 (one hundred sixty eight) consumer cases upto December, 2017. The Assistant Controller of Legal Metrology & Consumer Affairs in the districts are designated as District Consumer Protection Officers.
Recently, the toll- free Consumer Helpline has been installed at the Office of the Controller, Legal Metrology & Consumer Affairs, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, Naharlagun. The toll-free Consumer Helpline No. is 1800-345-3601.

• Scheme: NIL
• Institution: NIL
• Beneficiaries: NIL