Meter testing: Trouble brews as authorities change hands

The transition of meter testing procedures from the state transport department's Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) to the Legal Metrology department (better known as the Weights and Measures department) is creating the kind of trouble both officials and drivers haven't seen in a while.

The crux of the matter, a top union functionary told dna, was that the rickshaw and taxi drivers who have so far followed the rules of RTOs, the Motor Vehicles Act and the Maharashtra Motor Vehicle Rules, have been suddenly asked to follow the laws under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 and the Maharashtra Legal Metrology (Enforcement) Rules, 2011.

"The rules of legal metrology are fine with us. They are strict and will reduce malpractices. However, the problem is that the Legal Metrology department is in such a tearing hurry to inherit the mantle that drivers, motor transport officials and the paraphernalia that took care of rickshaw and taxi licensing are feeling caught in between," said the union functionary.

The problems have already begun. The meter manufacturers have been given a long list of do's and donts by the Legal Metrology department. What has raised the heckles of these manufacturers, however, is the move to get them to pay the requisite fees to the metrology department for the meters they have sold over the past few years.

"Now how can one justify that? We have been paying the fees that was recommended as per law by the state transport department. It will just slow down the pace of everything including manufacturing if we now have to comply to new rules with retrospective effect," said a Pune-based manufacturer.

Another problem is that almost all the meter-testing institutes that do the all-important bench test to verify taxi and rickshaw meters, have closed down because of lack of permissions from the legal metrology department.

"The absence of institutes to conduct bench tests means meters cannot be verified and sealed, which in turn means rickshaws having a problem getting their passing certificate. Just today, around 20 rickshaws at both Andheri and Wadala RTOs couldn't get passed because of this problem," said a transport official.

Speaking to dna, Thampi Kurian, chief of the Mumbai Rickshawmen's Union, said, "The state needs to ensure that drivers are not harassed while the rules change from one department to the other."

Sanjay Pandey, Controller of Weights and Measures, Legal Metrology, says: "I believe everything will fall in place soon. In fact, stamping of meters have begun in Pune and also in Mumbai. There might be a few people who are having problems because of the transition but the rules are there to be followed and we will ensure it is."

Why Legal MetrologyAct has more teeth:
The Legal Metrology Act, 2009 gives the controller of legal metrology the right to raid premises where activities 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.

It gives vast rights to the officers of the department to raid meter repairers, fine government approved testing centres up to Rs1 lakh, penalise those tampering with seals including wires used in meters. The Act also prescribes jail terms ranging from one month to a year depending on whether it is the first or the second offence.