Metrology department lacks fund, manpower

SHILLONG: The State Legal Metrology is one department with zero funds and limited manpower.
Talking to media persons here on Tuesday, Controller of the Legal Metrology Israel Ingty said the department got around Rs 7 crore as budgetary allocation and most of the amount is spent on salaries.
In addition, the Centre under the 11th and 12th plan also allotted Rs 6 crore to the department, which was utilised for construction of laboratories.
Ingty pointed out that the department has small teams in every district in the form of an inspector and a manual assistant. The teams look after the 19 categories of traders in the state. He stressed on the need for more manpower.
The official said the gas agencies in the city are complying with the directive and LPG cylinders are being weighed at the time of home delivery. “If there is any complaint, people can complaint to us,” he said.
Interestingly, the department till date does not have a helpline number and it only has a complaint box on the Meghalaya portal where people can lodge complaints directly to the Controller.
Ingty said the department verifies the 180 weighbridges in the state, including those of the cement companies, transport, industries and even private weigh bridges which are owned by the mining community.
Meanwhile, Ingty also informed that the department in 2011-2016 carried out 5,961 surprise inspections in which 49,517 traders were compounded and fine of Rs 14,92,100 was realised.
He said the offenders are slapped with a penalty of Rs 5,000 at the first instance followed by Rs 12,000 in the second instances and the offenders are jailed on the third occasion.
According to Ingty, the Union Government recently constituted a special task force comprising officers from the department, DC (Supply) and representatives of the oil companies to inspect the 192 petrol pumps in the state.
“We found that everything is intact and we have submitted the report to the Union Government,” he said.
Test vehicle lying untilised
Meanwhile, Ingty also said that the Mobile Test Kit vehicle (of 30 tons) of the Legal Metrology department has been lying unutilized for the past many years after it was found not feasible for hilly terrain.
Ingty told reporters that the department has taken up the matter with the Union Government with a request to take the vehicle back as it not meant for hilly terrain or give it to Assam. However, there has been no response yet. The request, he said was due to the maintenance cost of the vehicle is too high. “It took us six and a half hours to take the vehicle to Jowai (in West Jaintia Hills) from Shillong and the maintenance cost for that is Rs 6,000,” Ingty added.