Open violation of weight and measurement act
Mohammed Sajid and Tarun Kartick
Port Blair, Nov 5: Andaman and Nicobar Administration is encouraging the growth of Small Scale Industries and local entrepreneurs in these Islands to eradicate unemployment. For this, the Administration has introduced several schemes to financially support these local micro units but sadly instead of doing good for these Islands, some of the local micro business owners are openly looting public.
With the constant promotion of the small scale industries in the Islands today we have numerous small scale industries and micro business owners producing handicraft items to packed food stuffs, in these Islands. But now perhaps due to growing competition some of the food items manufacturing units have started cheating the customers to earn easy profit. These producers play with both, quality and quantity to keep their profit margin high, as they know there is no one to put a bar on them.
A few month back Andaman Sheekha had reported how a local Ice Cream Manufacturer is selling Ice Creams, without even mentioning the date of manufacture and expiry on the cover.
Now, Andaman Sheekha recently found that one such manufacturer is selling poor quality fried peanuts that too in less quantity to public. Andaman Sheekha team purchased nearly half-dozens of 50 Gram fried peanut packets of the same manufacturer and checked for the quantity and we were surprised to know that on a standard electronic weighing scale the packets 50 Gram (as claimed by the manufacturer) weight only 40 grams.
Andaman Sheekha team checked for products of several other brands and found that many of their products have some or the other deviations in quality or quantity.
The matter does not end here local market is flooded with various commodities, which was manufactured and packed in Andaman but on the cover the manufacturers give fake address of Mainland India, to get good value in local market. For example about a dozen of brands of Fragrance Sticks available in local market are actually manufactured and packed in Andaman but on the packets the manufacturer put fake address of ‘Bangalore’. If someone goes to the address they will find no such manufacturing unit at Banglore. This is also a kind of cheating.
Andaman Sheekha contacted Mr. Som Naidu, Director of Civil Supplies and consumer Affairs to know why actions against such cheaters are not taken. Mr. Som Naidu informed us that if we lodge complaint in writing along with the bill of the shop from where the items are purchased then the department will surely take action against the shopkeeper and manufacturers. The million dollar question here is why the Administration can’t take action by its own and why the quality and quantity of these products are not regulated by a public body?
The Administration should immediately direct the concerned department to start checking the quality and quantity of all food products, made and packed locally, so that the consumers get value for their money.
