|
Enforcement of the accuracy of
Weights & Measures and those of the package commodities in the market is
an indispensable activity of the Government in a welfare
state. For this purpose, the Weights & Measures Organisation
of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Deptt. works under
legal meterology Act,2009. The legal meterology (Packaged Commodities)
Rules, 2011 issued under the legal meterology Act,2009 is the main
source of enforcement .
Similarly, the state of H.P. has
issued its enforcement rules under legal meterology Act,2009 in the legal
meterology Act,2009, named as the H.P. Legal Meterology
(Enforcement) Rules, 2011, which are the guiding lights for
stamping and verification of Weights & Measures
instruments, the schedules for Registration of users; Renewal of
Registration of users; Certificate of Registration; Registers
meant for the purpose; procedures and performance for licensing
of dealers of Weights & Measures for the purpose of sales and
service etc; relevant conditions of licensing,
stamping and verification of Weights & Measures instruments,
conditions for packers and elaborate data regarding the fees.
Information
regarding legal
meterology (Packaged
Commodities) Rules,2011
1. With
the rapid expansion of trade and advancement of technology the practice of
putting the commodities in the packages have become enormously popular.
Putting the commodities in the packages have become enormously popular.
Putting the commodities in the packages is easier for packing,
transporting,handling and distribution. The general advantage is that it
saves time which is consumed in weighment and putting the things in packets;
at the consumer level. Also it protects the commodities and increases their
shelf life.
But putting the commodities in packets has limitations of its own capacity of
the packets some time conceals the identity of the commodity; on uniform
packing leads to confusion in the market; undated packets results in
ignorance about the freshness of the product.
To regulate intra state transaction in the State, Himachal Pradesh has made
the Weights & Measures (Enforcement) Rules, 2004.
2.What is a Packed
Commodity:-
" Pre-Packed commodity means a commodity which, without the
purchasers being present is packed in package of what ever nature, so that
the quantity of the prduct containing therein has a pre determined value and
such value can not be altered without package or its lid or cap, as the case
may be, being opened or undergoing a perceptible modification and the
expression " Package" wherever it occurs shall be construed as a
package containing a pre-packed commodity.
3.Declaration to be
made on every package-Every package shall bear thereon or on a label securely
affixed thereto a definite, plain and conspicuous declaration, made in
accordance with the provisions of this chapter as, to,-
(i)The
Name and Address of the manufacture or where the Manufacture is not the
packer the name and address of Manufacturer and Packer.
(ii)The
common or generic names of the commodities contained in the package;
Explation: General name in relations to a commodity means the name of the
genus of the commodity, for example, in the case of common salt, sodium
chloride is the generic name.
(iii)The
net quantity, in the terms of the Standards unit of weights & measures,
of the commodity contained in the package of where the commodity contained in
the package;
(iv)The
month and year in which the commodity is manufactured or pre-packed;
(v) The
Retail Sale Price of package.
4.What should the
consumer do while purchasing:-
(i)He
must ensure that all mandatory declaration are made on the package
conspicuously and unambiuously.
(ii)He
must not pay excess of Maximum Retail Price.
(iii)He
must prefer larger packages against the smaller ones because bulk purchase is
always cheap.
(iv)For
redressal of his grievances he shoukd approach the Legal Metrology,Weights
& Measures Organization.Controller of Legal Metrology at the State level;
Asstt. Controller of Legal Metrology and Divisional level; and Inspector,
Weights & Measures at circle level.
(v)He
should not be allured by cheap publicity glamour like "sale",
"Discount", "Free and "Extra" marked on the
packages.
A awakened Consumer is a safe consumer.
|
