Those commuting by taxis and autorickshaws on Mumbai roads are soon unlikely to encounter tampered meters as plans are afoot to transfer the power to test and verify these meters from the short-staffed regional transport offices (RTOs) to the legal metrology organisation, under the state's food, civil supplies and consumer protection department, which has much stringent laws to curb this fraudulent practice. “The matter was discussed and the procedure is being finalised,” Additional transport commissioner S B Sahastrabudhe told dna.
Those commuting by taxis and autorickshaws on Mumbai roads are soon unlikely to encounter tampered meters as plans are afoot to transfer the power to test and verify these meters from the short-staffed regional transport offices (RTOs) to the legal metrology organisation, under the state's food, civil supplies and consumer protection department, which has much stringent laws to curb this fraudulent practice. “The matter was discussed and the procedure is being finalised,” Additional transport commissioner S B Sahastrabudhe told dna.
Criminal case for tampering meter?
The metrology department has tampering of meter, weight or measure as its primary focus and can slap criminal cases under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 on the offender. One example of how inadequate the fight against meter tampering is can be seen from the fact that the last electronic meter tampering case with the State Transport Authority Tribunal was filed way back in August, 2012.
What gives teeth to Legal Met Act?
The Legal Metrology Act, 2009 gives the Controller of legal metrology the right to raid premises where activity violating the Act are going on. As per section 2(n) of the Act, premises could also mean 'a vehicle or vessel or mobile device with the help of which any transaction or business is carried out', in short a taxi or a rickshaw.
What other rights with Legal Met?
The Act gives vast rights to the officers to raid meter repairers, fine government approved testing centres upto Rs 1 lakh, penalise those tampering with seals including wires used in meters etc. The Act also prescribes jail terms ranging from one month to a year depending on whether it is the first or the second offence.
Why is met dept now in picture?
Speaking to dna, Sanjay Pandey, controller of legal metrology (weights and measures), said, "As per the law, any measuring instrument that leads to a transaction should be verified by the legal metrology department. So we will be doing it."
What else will bring down cases?
The large volume of work and the low staff numbers have been a perennial problem for city RTOs. The numbers with dna say, the three RTOs at Tardeo, Wadala and Andheri, have among them 63 motor vehicle inspectors and 37 assistant inspectors to keep tab on over 1.06 lakh autos and 40,000-odd taxis. Plus, they deal with another 23 lakh private vehicles registered in Mumbai and the work accompanying that.
Who paid for RTOs' resource crunch?
According to Thampi Kurien, chief of the Mumbai Rickshawmen's Union, the shortage of resources at the RTOs, including the inadequate manpower, remained the core problem which incapacitated the department from effectively dealing with the menace of meter tampering.
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