About Department
Formerly known as Department of Weights & Measures, now in order to align with the Department of International Organization of Legal Metrology for which India is also a member country, the department has been renamed as Department of Legal Metrology.
Aims of the department
- Maintenance of accuracy in all Weights & Measures used in Trade, Commerce & Industrial Transaction
- Protection of consumer interest against cheating in Weights & Measure in transcation
- To ensure correct quantities in weights, measures and packaged commodities
- To ensure correct weighment of farm products in sale transaction
- To ensure correct display of fare in auto rickshaw meter to actual distance travelled by auto
- To ensure of selling packaged commodities at the price marked on them
- In order to achieve the above said goals, the department is enforcing and implementing the following Central & state Legislations:
- The Legal Metrology Act -2009.
- The Legal Metrology (General) Rules - 2011.
- The Legal Metrology (National Standard) Rules - 2011.
- The Legal Metrology (Numeration) Rules – 2011.
- The Legal Metrology (Approval of Models) Rules – 2011.
- The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules – 2011.
- The Indian Institute of Legal Metrology Rules – 2011.
- The Karnataka Legal Metrology (Enforcement) Rules – 2011.
Organizational Set Up
| 1 | Name of Department | Department of Legal Metrology |
| 2 | Minister In Charge of Department At State Level | Minister of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Government of Karnataka, Bengaluru |
| 3 | Administrative Control At State Level | Secretary of Government of Karnataka Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department Vikas Soudha, Bengaluru |
| 4 | Head of Department & Organizational Setup at State Level | 1) Controller of Legal Metrology, #01, Ali Asker Road, Bengaluru |
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| 3) Assistant Controller of Legal Metrology (At District Level) | ||
| 4) Inspector of Legal Metrology (At Sub-Divisional Level) | ||
| 5) Inspector of Legal Metrology - Auto & Taxi Unit (At Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangalore, Kalburgi, Vijayapura, Hubbali, Belagavi, Shivamogga, Kolar, Tumkur, Davanagere, Chitradurga, Hassan & Bellary) |
Activities of the Department
- 1. To ensure accuracies in Weights & Measures in the field of trade & Commerce, industrial transactions & enforcing the Legal Metrology Act and Rules
- 2. To enforce the Packaged Commodities and regulation of correct quantities and ensuring sale of commodities at printed price (MRP) of Manufacturer/Packer on the Packaged Commodities
- 3. Imparting training to the enforcing officers of the Department at Indian Institute of Legal Metrology, Ranchi. Established by Government of India, and other recognized institutes
- 4. Creating awareness among the consumers and traders of Legal Metrology Laws, through exhibitions, fairs and organizing awareness programs, where large numbers of consumer are generally gathered, like shades, parks etc.
- 5. Creating awareness among consumers and traders by involving voluntary organizations.
- 6. Conducting of Initial verification & stamping of Weights & Measures, to ensure, accuracy and conformity with specification as laid down under Legal Metrology Act and Rules.
- 7. Periodical Verification and Stamping of Weights and Measures used in commerce and industry and for the purposes of industrial protection and transactions.
- 8. Periodical verification and stamping of Auto-rickshaw and taximeters.
- 9. Conducting of Inspections/surprise inspections for detection of violation of the provisions of the Legal Metrology Laws and to take legal action against erring traders, industrialists etc
- 10. Examination and determination of net quantity and error in packages at the premises of the manufacturers or packers.
- 11. Registration of the manufacturers, packers and importers who pre-packs or imports any commodities for sale, distribution or delivery under the provisions of The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules – 2011.
- 12. The Department is Issuing and renewing the licenses of manufactures, dealers and repairers of Weights and Measures
- 13. Conducting workshops, seminars and the like programs to educate Departmental Personnel, traders and consumers
- 14. The Department has established Standards of Weights and Measures laboratories at State, Division, District, Sub-division levels. There are 14 Secondary Standard Laboratories at Central Laboratory, Bengaluru, Kolar, Mysuru, Chitradurga, Hassan, Hubbali, Kalburgi, Raichur, Mangalore, Shivamogga, Bellary, Karwar, Belagavi, Vijayapura. There are working Standard Laboratories one each in Assistant Controller and Inspectors of Legal Metrology offices
- 15. The Government of India has established a Regional Reference Standard Laboratory for southern region at Jakkur Bengaluru to provide facilities for verification of Secondary Standards used by Department and also to provide advanced facilities for calibration of highly sophisticated instruments used in industries
- 16. The approval of model of weights& measures is also being done by the Regional Reference Standard Laboratory at Jakkur, Bengaluru as per the specification laid down in the Legal Metrology (General) Rules – 2011
- 17. To file charge sheet in court against erring traders and to monitor the trial of cases in courts
| Sl.No | Category | Strength |
| 1 | Controller | 1 |
| 2 | Deputy Controller | 6 |
| 3 | Assistant Controller | 39 |
| 4 | Inspectors | 107 |
| 5 | Superintendent | 3 |
| 6 | First Division Clerk | 21 |
| 7 | Steno | 6 |
| 8 | Second Division Clerk | 34 |
| 9 | Typist | 35 |
| 10 | Driver | 12 |
| 11 | Manual Assistant | 126 |
| 12 | Group D | 107 |
| 13 | Night Watchman | 1 |
| Total | 498 |
The following acts are considered as offences under legal metrology acts and rules:
01. Use of Weights and measures other than those prescribed under the rules
02. Use of quotations etc., otherwise than in terms of Standards unit Weight or Measure
03. Manufacture, Repair or Sale of Weights or Measures without valid license
04. Manufacture or Sale of Weights and Measures other than Standards prescribed under the Act and Rules
05. Sale and Use of unverified and un-stamped Weights or measures
06. Non-display of certificates issued by the Department
07. Pre-packed commodities shall not be sold, distributed, delivered, displayed or stored for sale, unless the package complies with the provisions of the Act and the Rules
08. Counterfeiting, tempering, removal of seals and increasing, diminishing or altering any weight or measure with a view to deceive any person in transaction
09. Sale or delivery of commodities by non-standard weight or measure
10. Keeping non-standard weight or measure for the use in transactions
11. Selling of any article less than the quantity contracted for or rendering any service less than the service contracted for or buying any article in excess of the commodity contracted for or obtaining any service in excess of the service contracted for
12. Entering into a contract or other agreement in terms of any standard other than the standard units
13. Alteration and tampering with any license issued under the Act/Rules
14. Selling or delivering rejected weights and measures
15. No person shall impersonate in any way the Controller, Deputy Controller, Assistant Controller, Inspector or any other Officer of the Department
16. No person shall give false information to the Department which may be required or asked for and no person shall submit either a false return or maintain a false record or register
17. No employer shall avoid the voracious responsibility for the offence committed by his employee
18. No person shall pre-pack any commodity unless he registers himself in accordance with the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011
19. No retail dealer or other person including the manufacturer, packer and wholesale dealer shall make sale of any commodity in packed form at a price exceeding the retail sale price(MRP) printed on the package or on the label affixed thereto
20. No retail dealer, manufacturer, packer or other person shall obliterate, smudge or alter the retail sale price (MRP) indicated on the package or on the package or on the label affixed thereto
21. No package shall be sold, delivered or displayed for sale unless it contains the required declarations on it or on the label affixed thereto
01. Use of Weights and measures other than those prescribed under the rules
02. Use of quotations etc., otherwise than in terms of Standards unit Weight or Measure
03. Manufacture, Repair or Sale of Weights or Measures without valid license
04. Manufacture or Sale of Weights and Measures other than Standards prescribed under the Act and Rules
05. Sale and Use of unverified and un-stamped Weights or measures
06. Non-display of certificates issued by the Department
07. Pre-packed commodities shall not be sold, distributed, delivered, displayed or stored for sale, unless the package complies with the provisions of the Act and the Rules
08. Counterfeiting, tempering, removal of seals and increasing, diminishing or altering any weight or measure with a view to deceive any person in transaction
09. Sale or delivery of commodities by non-standard weight or measure
10. Keeping non-standard weight or measure for the use in transactions
11. Selling of any article less than the quantity contracted for or rendering any service less than the service contracted for or buying any article in excess of the commodity contracted for or obtaining any service in excess of the service contracted for
12. Entering into a contract or other agreement in terms of any standard other than the standard units
13. Alteration and tampering with any license issued under the Act/Rules
14. Selling or delivering rejected weights and measures
15. No person shall impersonate in any way the Controller, Deputy Controller, Assistant Controller, Inspector or any other Officer of the Department
16. No person shall give false information to the Department which may be required or asked for and no person shall submit either a false return or maintain a false record or register
17. No employer shall avoid the voracious responsibility for the offence committed by his employee
18. No person shall pre-pack any commodity unless he registers himself in accordance with the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011
19. No retail dealer or other person including the manufacturer, packer and wholesale dealer shall make sale of any commodity in packed form at a price exceeding the retail sale price(MRP) printed on the package or on the label affixed thereto
20. No retail dealer, manufacturer, packer or other person shall obliterate, smudge or alter the retail sale price (MRP) indicated on the package or on the package or on the label affixed thereto
21. No package shall be sold, delivered or displayed for sale unless it contains the required declarations on it or on the label affixed thereto
- The Appeal to citizen from department is as follow:
- To get awareness on Legal Metrology Laws by participating in the consumer awareness programs conducted by the department and by keeping touch with department
- To assist and help the department to enforce Legal Metrology Laws
- To report to the Authorities concerned any instance of malpractice by way of short weighment/measurement of commodities or any other violation of the Legal Metrology Laws for taking legal action
- To give any other suggestion to improve this Citizens Charter and activities of the Department