Legal Metrology Act 2009

The Legal Metrology Act 2009 has come into effect after its publication in the Official Gazette on the 14th January 2010. It replaces The Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1976 and the Standards of Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Act, 1985. The new Act will become operative after the Rules thereunder is also notified.

Meanwhile. the State Governments will enforce the existing Acts and Rules.

Appointment of Government approved Test Centers for verification of weights and measures, allowing the companies to nominate a person who will be held responsible for breach of provisions of the Act, simplified definition of "Packaged Commodity and more stringent punishment for violation of provisions are some of the new features of the Act.

An overview of the Act.

Amendment of SoWM (General) Rules, 1987

Notification no. GSR 151(E) dated 4th March, 2009:
Dynamic measuring systems for liquids other than water

The notification, an adoption of the OIML Recommendations under R 117: Edition 1995 (E), is effective from the 5th June, 2009. It replaces existing specifications of metrological and technical requirements of Dispensing Pumps [Part I Schedule VIII] and Meter for Liquids (other than Water) [Part V Schedule VIII]

It is interesting to note that the government has overlooked the OIML recommendation no 117-1 (E) of 2007 in favour of a decade older one of 1995.

No wonder that even after a lapse a more than a year after it was notified, it is not being implemented anywhere.

An overview of the Notification    |    A review    |    Where are the loopholes. ?

Declaration of MRP - A perpetual fraud on consumers

An un-dated notification bearing no. G.S.R. 865(E) has been issued by the Director of Legal Metrology, Government of India, adding an explanation to the Rule 4 of the Standards of Weights and Measures (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 1977.

It reads "The existence of packages without the MRP would not be construed as a violation of this rule. It should, however, be ensured all packages have MRP on them as required in this rule, before the packages are dispatched from the factory."

Do you see the implications of this notification? It is beyond the physical capacity of a state legal metrology authority to prevent packages coming out of a factory without declaration of MRP. And once packages come out, there is nothing to stop them from flooding the market.

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