By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 5: In a rare move, Cabinet Minister Sanbor Shullai on Friday directed inspectors of the Legal Metrology department to watch the Anil Kapoor-starrer Nayak and draw inspiration from the actor’s no-nonsense approach in acting against those who cheat the public.
In the film, Kapoor plays a chief minister for a day and personally steps into the field, suspending and cancelling the licences of shopkeepers and contractors involved in malpractice. Shullai urged his inspectors to adopt a similarly proactive attitude and begin executing their duties with renewed seriousness starting tomorrow.
“Inspectors should be sincere, and they must go into the field and conduct checking at their level,” Shullai said, expressing surprise that inspectors have hardly conducted field inspections over the years.
Chairing a review meeting, the minister further noted with concern that since its inception, the Legal Metrology Department has detected and penalised only a handful of cases, despite frequent public complaints of cheating in Shillong and other areas.
With only 13 inspectors currently serving across the state, the department highlighted the urgent need to appoint more personnel to strengthen field inspections and enforcement.
The Department of Legal Metrology enforces the Legal Metrology Act, 2009, and the Rules made thereunder. The Act ensures uniform standards and procedures for verifying weight, volume, and length so that customers receive the quantity they pay for and businesses sell the quantity they advertise.
Under these provisions, all weights and measures used in trade, industrial production, and human safety must be verified and stamped periodically by the department. For this purpose, periodic and surprise inspections are carried out in markets, fair-price shops, kerosene depots, petrol pumps, gas agencies, and other establishments.
Shullai also directed the department to submit a comprehensive report on all cases received so far within six days.
During the meeting, officials stressed the need to raise public awareness, noting that people rarely come forward to lodge complaints about irregularities. It was felt that both traders and consumers should be aware that the department is actively functioning.
Shullai further urged the public not to hesitate in filing complaints against any irregularity, assuring strict action in every genuine case.
