State’s Legal Metrology Organisation tells Centre that teller machines are ‘measuring instruments’
Raising questions about the “foolproof” mechanism of ATMs, the Maharashtra Legal Metrology Organisation (LMO) has approached the Centre to bring these machines under the ambit of Legal Metrology (LM) Rules to safeguard the interests of consumers, as it is a ‘measuring instrument’.
In a letter addressed to the Director of Legal Metrology in New Delhi, and marked to the Principal Secretary of Maharashtra’s Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Department, the Maharashtra Controller of Legal Metrology, Amitabh Gupta, has said, “There are a number of incidences wherein ATMs are delivering less or no amount of cash to a consumer, with respect to the transaction made by the consumer.”
The Maharashtra LMO had earlier spearheaded a campaign against stents being sold to patients in hospitals in Mumbai at prices that were higher than import prices. Following this, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) had fixed the prices of stents used for angioplasty to ensure that patients are not overcharged.
“Though ATMs at present are not covered under LM Rules, it is now necessary to bring it under the ambit of the LMO to protect the interests of consumers as it is a measuring instrument, which is introduced in the transaction due to advancement of technology (sic),” the state LMO’s letter reads.
“Due to technical reasons/errors, there is a possibility of delivering less amount to the consumer. For ATM transactions, banks are charging the consumers but due to such shortage of service, consumers have to suffer on both fronts i.e not getting his own hard-earned money in time through ATMs and for such futile transactions he had to pay the service charge to the bank (sic),” the letter stated. At present, there are 25,000-odd ATMs installed in the state and around 2,15,000 ATMs across the country.
“We have requested our Delhi head office to bring ATM machines under the ambit of the LMO to safeguard the interests of consumers. Proper rules with regard to ATM machines should be made so that there is no mistake in the future. Though quality control is not in our hands, once it comes under our ambit, we will check how the notes are being put in the machines, measures taken to ensure fake notes are distinguished or not, etc,” said an LMO official.
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