Nellore: After noticing that vendors in vegetable markets and fertiliser and cement dealers were continuing to cheat customers even after imposition of heavy fines, the Legal Metrology department had earlier decided to file cases against them in court .
The department filed cases against vendors and dealers after raids in several parts of the state last week. Teams also carried out raids on canteens in engineering colleges and corporate schools and found them collecting more than MRP on soft drinks.
Deputy controller of LMD, Mr Thomas Ravikumar said they had booked 5 cases against institutions located in Nellore and Prakasam districts for fleecing students. He said that they had also booked 78 cases against fair price shop dealers for various irregularities detected during joint raids with 6 officers from various parts of the state in the month of August in Nellore district.
“Our teams have detected tampering of seals of weighing machines, use of unverified scales and shortage in the weight of commodities. We have filed 3 cases in the court for intentionally tampering with the weighing machines,” Mr Ravikumar said.
The Legal Metrology wing booked cases when it noticed a shortage 500g to 1 kg in each fertilizer bag. Cases have been booked for shortage of quantity in cement bags also.
In addition to this, the Legal Metrology department is also carrying out checks for sale of commodities at more than MRP and booking cases. A dealer was booked for selling urea bags for Rs 300 to Rs 320 as against the MRP of Rs 290.
Similar cases were registered for charging above the MRP for drinking water during the recent Rottela Panduga in Nellore. Mr Ravikumar has appealed to the public to insist on bills for all items they buy since it is an important evidence for taking action against erring traders.
He said they had registered cases against malls such as D-Mart, Big Bazar and Reliance also in Nellore and Prakasam districts for charging old rates for shampoo and liquid soaps among other items even after the government had announced reduction in GST.
