Raid in Goa by Legal Metrology Department

1. The Legal Metrology Department has the power to conduct raids and inspections of manufacturing units and businesses based on complaints or information received by the Legal Metrology officer.
2. The Legal Metrology Department has conducted various raids on different businesses in different fields, such as the Legal metrology raids on petrol pumps, manufacturing units, and gas agencies, etc. In recent times, the Legal Metrology Department has also conducted raids in Goa.
3. It is the responsibility of the officer to keep a check on the various business and manufacturing units to ensure their compliance with the act and protect the interests of the consumer. Inspection of Cylindrical knob type weights under legal metrology.
4. The legal metrology department has taken care of the various compliances done by the business, manufacturer, importer, and packer of the commodity. The primary responsibility of the legal metrology officer is to take action against any complaint made by any consumer, or any other person, with regards to the following:
   1. commodity or the declarations of the commodity,
   2. the quantity in the package available,
   3. the quantity written on the package, or
   4. any other compliance by the manufacturing unit.

The Legal Metrology Department Conducted Raids Across Goa

1. On February 25th and 26th, 2022, in Ponda/Panaji, the legal metrology department conducted various raids at several places across Goa.
2. It seized weighing and measuring instruments as well as commodities, including mobile accessories packages, for not bearing the mandatory LMPC declarations as required under the provisions of the legal metrology Act 2009.
3. The raids were conducted at the following places in Goa
   1. Margao,
   2. Zuarinagar,
   3. Canacona,
   4. Ponda,
   5. Sanguem,
   6. Mapusa, and
   7. Bicholim.
4. However, five shops were inspected at Varner, and out of those two cases were booked for foreign unverified weighing and measuring and 43 packages of mobile accessories were seized.
5. At Zuarinagar, 15 shops for weighing and measuring instruments were seized and two cases were booked. 53 door accessory packages were seized for unverified weighing instruments. It was found that the MRP on the package was smudged.
6. Cases of violations were booked in Bicholim and Mapusa against the manager and owner of the following:
   1. milk society,
   2. vegetables,
   3. bar and restaurants,
   4. tile shop, and
   5. general store.
7. In Siolim various shops were inspected and seized for an unverified weighing instrument such as:
   1. A bar and restaurant,
   2. supermarkets,
   3. Vegetable shops,
   4. general stores,
   5. supermarkets,
   6. chicken shops,
   7. courier firms, and
   8. hardware shops.
8. 70 traders were inspected and 13 cases were booked with regards to unverified weighing instruments in Ponda.
9. In Canacona 1430 packages of tiles were seized besides unverified weighing scales because of not having mandatory declaration.

Power of Legal Metrology Department

The inspection by Legal metrology officer can be conducted anywhere in their respective state. Each state in India has a legal metrology office that takes care of legal metrology compliance in their respective state by every manufacturer, packer, seller, or dealer of pre-packaged commodities, weights, and measures. Any person who can be a consumer can make a complaint against the business, manufacturer, importer, or dealer of a commodity in the case of any default. Powers given to the legal metrology officer are given below.

1. power to inspect the manufacturing unit.
2. power to inspect LMPC declaration on the packages of commodity.
3. Seize the commodity in case of default.
4. Power to conduct raids.
5. power to take action on complaints from consumers.
6. Power to inspect documents provided by manufacturer, packer, and importer of the commodity.
7. Power to inspect the records and documents of the manufacturing unit.
8. Power to verify the purpose of the manufacturing unit.
9. The Legal Metrology Department provides the proper training to the Legal Metrology Officer.
10. Check the quantity of the commodity provided to the consumer.

Current Raids Conducted by Legal Metrology Department

In recent days, legal metrology has become hyperactive in checking the complaints made by consumers against businesses. The COVID period in the world has changed the pattern of buying and selling of commodities, and it has increased the rate of online buying and selling of commodities by a huge amount.

Everyone in today’s time prefers to do online shopping. On the other hand, the passage of time has also increased the rate of fraud and cheating committed by businesses against consumers. To reduce the amount of fraud by businesses and to protect the interests of the consumer, the legal metrology department has taken various actions and conducts the raid as well as surprise inspections.

1. In this article, we have discussed the inspections and raids conducted by the Legal Metrology Department in February 2022 in various parts of Goa where several shops, commodities, and businesses have been seized for not complying with the rules and regulations of the act and not making the proper and correct declarations of the package of the commodity.
2. In May 2022, the department of legal metrology seized petrol pumps to provide a lower quantity of fuel to consumers.
3. Various commodities and shops were seized by the legal metrology department for not disclosing proper quantity to the consumer as per the quantity declaration on the package of commodity.
4. In recent days the Legal Metrology Department has also taken action against the Lays or providing less quantity inside the package.
5. Strict action has been taken by the legal metrology department on the above-mentioned issue and a proper inquiry was conducted in regard to the same.

Conclusion

1. The Legal Metrology Department has various powers to conduct the inspection and set the raids on the manufacturing unit, business, package of commodities, etc. The Legal Metrology officer can take the required action against the offenders and can start the trial against them. The Legal Metrology department not only conducts the surprise inspection and raids but also provides the proper directions to the business in non-compliance with the act.
2. The department also has a responsibility to cross verify the documents of the applicants, who can be the manufacturer, importer, or packer of the commodity while providing the certificate to the applicant.
3. No person can sell a package with less quantity than the weight disclosed, and no one is allowed to run an establishment without taking prior permission from the legal metrology department.
4. The Legal Metrology department even provides the proper training to the officers of Legal Metrology so that they can do their duty in full capacity and conduct the various inspections and ensure compliance with the act by the businesses.
5. Whether they are well-established businesses or small vendors, everyone has to comply with the rules and regulations of the act and ensure no fraudulent activity takes place in their business.
6. The offices of Legal Metrology have been set up in various parts of the country and almost in every state of the country from where the applicant takes permission to start his business in India dealing with the consumer. Also, the consumer can file a complaint in the Legal Metrology office if he faces any kind of fraudulent activity done by the businesses or by any manufacturer, importer, or packager.
7. A Legal Metrology officer can conduct a raid on the complaint of the consumer or in the case of any doubt arising in regards to the business. They have full authority to check and verify the documents and to check and verify the quantity of the commodity available in the package and written on the package.

The legal Metrology department helps in protecting the rights in interests of the consumer and also ensures the growth of the business so that the proper coordination in the Indian legal metrology system in regards to the Indian market will be maintained and no fraudulent activity will take place.