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Consumers allege faulty weighing by traders

—Photo: Lingaraj Panda

A scene at a fish market at Komapalli market in Berhampur.

BERHAMPUR: Consumers continue to get conned by traders through intentional use faulty weighing scales and weights in the city due to inaction of department of weights and measures, allege consumer activists.

“Inaction of officials of weights and measures department can be assessed from the sharp decline in the cases filed by them during the last few years,” says Ganjam Bar Association general secretary Manoj Patnaik.

At present only 10 to 15 cases filed by weights and measures department reach Berhampur court. “Five years ago, the number of such cases was in hundreds, says Mr. Patnaik.

A majority of customers agree that they are silently accepting the cheating done through faulty weights and weighing scales. Usually a kg of fish at market becomes 700 grams at home. When a customer raises the issue, traders do not feel shy to provide more than what is weighed on the scale. “But the weights and measures department rarely make raids at markets to book the traders using faulty weighing scales and weights. At least no customer or consumer activist has seen them doing so,” says Gopal Krushna Panda, a consumer activist of the city.

The weights used by traders at vegetable, fish and meat markets are rarely inspected by the department officials although it has to be done every year.

Both Mr. Patnaik and Mr. Panda are of the opinion that unless strict legal action is taken, cheating by traders continues. They allege that officials of the department are protecting these unscrupulous traders.

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