The Legal Metrology Department, which works under the Consumer Affairs Department, has collected Rs3.75 crore in fines and registered 2,594 cases of overcharging and underweighting. Most of the complaints were received from Mumbai, Thane and Pune regions.
The crackdown was intensified after Covid restrictions were relaxed last year. A department official said that 619 complaints were received against overcharging for packaged drinking water, soft drinks and other similar items. After verification, 391 cases were registered.
Similarly, 161 underweighting complaints were received and 181 cases were registered against vendors of sweets, vegetables and groceries. Not to mention, 237 other complaints filed against unverified weight, erasing original price and pasting new ones, the official added.
Dr Ravinder Singal, Additional Director General of Police and Controller of State Legal Metrology, told The Free Press Journal that it's necessary to create awareness against such malpractices. “Customers should be aware of their rights. If they feel cheated, they should lodge a complaint with us,” he appealed.
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