All merchandise sold in packages are governed by the the Standards of Weights and Measures(Packaged Commodities) Rules,1977. Because of liberalization policies of the government and globalization, merchandise which could not even be imagined in packages a few years ago are now being sold in packages.
As merchandise which is being sold in packages is increasing and the number of manufactureres of packaged commodities is increasing, violations of the Packaged Commodity Rules are also increasing. In the past, only small manufacturers were violating the rules, but now they are being joined by big companies also.
According to Sec. 10 of the Rules, every package must have the name and full address of the manufacturer (and the packer). Many packages sold by the smaller shops in Mysore do not carry the full address. They will just say Mysore-15 or Mysore-9. This is illegal. In the recent raids conducted by Mysore City Corporation against adulterated tea, none of the seized tea packages carried the full address and so the persons who did the adulteration could not be found.
According to the Rules, the weight, measure or number of the merchandise must also be printed on every package. There are restrictions on the weight, measure and number. For example, coffee powder sold in a package can only weigh 25g, 50g, 250g, 500g, 1kg, 2kg, 3kg,... A coffee powder packet containing 40g or 2.5kg is illegal. Similarly, a match box can only have 10, 20, 50, 60, 100, 150, 200, 250,... match sticks. A box with 55 sticks or 475 matchsticks is illegal.
This rule appears to be violated on a large scale. A coffeepowder packet manufactured by an MNC has 11.5g printed on it. A 1-rupee instant coffee packet by the same company does not show the weight anywhere. Some detergent powder packets of MNCs have 275g, 700g and 850g printed on them. All these weights are illegal.
It is easy to cheat consumers through packages which contain non-standard weights, measures or numbers. It becomes difficult for the consumers to compare prices of two different packages. Let us say that one brand is selling at 20 Rs. per 250g and another at Rs. 10 per 100g. It is then easy to figure out that the second brand costs Rs. 25 per 250g and so is more expensive than the first brand. But if the second brand sells at Rs. 6 per 75 gms, one would need a calculator to figure out if it is cheaper or not. The main purpose of using non-standard weights, measures and numbers seems to be to confuse and cheat the public.
Packaged Commodity Rules are very beneficial to the public. If they are violated (As explained above, cheating the public seems to be the main motive behind these violations), what can the consumer do? According to Sec. 39 of the Rules, selling packages which violate the Rules is also illegal. Such sellers can be fined upto Rs. 2000. The department of legal metrology (which used to be known as the department of weights and measures) has the authority to levy this fine. So if you come across such packages, complain to the department (Ph: 2363107 or 2363055). If the shop owner has to shell out a heavy fine, he will stop selling such products.
If you suffer a loss from such merchandise, you can also complainto the District Consumer Forum (Ph: 2344902) and get compensated for your loss.