The Legal Metrology Department and Its Functions

Introduction

The one who keeps an eye on the businesses, Legal metrology for e-commerce websites, LMPC manufacturers, packers, and sellers of the commodity is the legal metrology department. 

The offices of the legal metrology department make sure that all the compliances have been done by the businesses while dealing with the consumers in the Indian market. 

The Legal Metrology department plays a vital role in our day-to-day lives, which we do not realize while purchasing the commodity. 

We get to know about the same when any offence is committed by the manufacturer, importer, packer, seller of the commodity, or any e-commerce website. 

It is the duty and responsibility of the legal metrology department to keep an eye on every business activity and conduct the proper surprise inspection at various intervals.

Acts and rules governing the department of Legal Metrology

1. Some certain acts and rules lay down the guidelines for the department and the general public, and the same includes consumers at large to follow a standard pattern. The department is concerned with the implementation of the provisions of the central act and the various rules framed by the Act.
2. However, the central act is a parent act, and it is primarily to establish the standard regulations, and regulations for commodities sold in a form of packages.
3. An international system of units has been adopted under the set which was earlier known as the “internationally recognized units of measurement”.
4. The department monitors the implementation of the rules and acts to enforce them to safeguard the interests of the public.
5. Implementation of the central act and the other acts, as well as rules, is being done under the standards of weights and measures enforcement in 1985 at the state level.
6. The Legal Metrology Department is a statutory organization function that comes under the governing act end rules given below: 
• The standard of weights and measures (enforcement) rule of 1987
• The standard of weights and measures act 1976
• standard of weights and measures packaged (commodities) rules 1977
• The standard of weights and measures (general) rule 1987
• The standard of weights and measures (enforcement) act 1985.

What are the statutory functions of legal metrology department?

1. The primary function of the legal metrology department is to verify weights and measures.
2. At least once a year, the verification of weights and measuring instruments.
3. To do the proper inspection of the manufacturing unit and package of the commodity provided by the manufacturer, importer, and packer of the commodity.
4. It is the function of the legal metrology officer to make a surprise visit to check the net content at manufacturing premises.
5. There should be legal metrological control on importers, packers, and manufacturers of packaged commodities so that no fraudulent activity will take place.
6. The duty and responsibility of the legal metrology department is to maintain the secondary standards and working standards at the periodical verification, which is the statutory function of the department as well.
7. Weighing and measuring scales are mechanical as well as electronic measuring instruments such as dispensing pumps, petrol storage tanks, petrol pumps, and petroleum brickle tanks for the checking of weights and measures.
8. For factories and mining industries as well as petroleum retail outlets such as:
• Dispensing pumps,
• Petroleum vehicle tanks, and
• Petroleum storage tanks for the check of weights and measures, weighing in measuring scales, both mechanical as well as electronic measuring scales.
9. All types of package commodities, such as dispensing pumps, follow meter, taxi, and auto rickshaw fare meters, need to be checked by the legal metrology officer as it is his primary function to perform his duty.
10. The officer must maintain the secondary standards and working standards at their periodical verification.
11. The department should prosecute against the offender; however, the offence is compoundable after filing the case in the court of law as and when required in case of the offence committed by the offender against the customer or the Indian market.

Printed Declarations as per Legal Metrology Act

As we are all aware, the LMPC Declaration and packaging of the commodity is not done in the presence of the consumer, so every manufacturer and packer of the commodity must comply with the standards of weights and measures commodity rules of 1977. It says that there is a requirement for the manufacturer, importer, or packer of the commodity to make the consumer aware that every package should bear the following printed on it. 

1. The name and address of the manufacturer,
2. The month and year of the packaging or manufacturing,
3. The country of origin
4. The name and address of the packer
5. The generic or former name of the commodity contained in the package,
6. Any other information required thereto.
7. The maximum retail sale price, which shall include all the taxes,
8. The net quantity of the content is expressed in the terms of weights and measures on numbers as the case may be.
9. A proper declaration of MRP should be printed on the package of the commodity.

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