Public cheated by fraud traders in market

Nizamabad: Consumers in Nizamabad and Kamareddy districts are alleging that some traders are cheating consumers by making advance changes in electronic weighing equipment and counter scale weighing equipment. Weighing scams are rampant in Nizamabad Kamareddy district in the contemporary days when kharif season crops are being procured on a large scale from farmers.

The bureaucracy is sleeping in corruption intoxication. Fraud in weighing machines is costing farmers as well as ordinary consumers. G Vaishnavi, a customer from Armoor, said in her personal observation that the modification of the mode button on the electronic weighing machines would reduce the weight by 150 to 200 grams. These scams are most prevalent in electronic scales used to measure chicken, mutton, fish, and groceries.

Differences in weight are understandable when consumers look back at weight when they go home. This is a situation where people are afraid to come to the market. Merchants cheat vertically by offering the customer a chocolate of equal value without even returning the change money. Frauds are taking place in the market because of consumer innocence. Officials of the respective government departments who are supposed to curb these injustices are usually pretending to be conducting inspections. Allegations are coming from consumers that the authorities are not controlling in good faith.

In Nizamabad Kamareddy districts, some traders are modifying electronic weighing machines and operating them. These types of scams are more likely to occur when weighing iron rods and the agricultural product procurement process.

Traders show weight differences in weight by breaking down links on counter scale weighing machines. Other merchants attach rubber bands and magnets to the beam on the counter scale device. This causes a difference in weight. Consumers should complain to the Department of Weights and Measures Department officials about the fraud in shops. When officers come for inspections they make a test weight with working standard weight and with their help check the weighing device used by the traders.

Checking shows that if a kilo of stone is placed on the quota consumed by the trader and the weight is an additional 300 grams per kilo, the trader is considered to have cheated by 300 grams with a false weight. A case was registered against the trader and the weighing machine was seized. Consumers should ask the officer through the Right to Information Act for action to be taken against the merchant after inspection.

Government officials do not carry out inspections in a way that protects the consumer.

The Vigilance Monitoring Committee does not appear to be conducting inspections despite massive scams at markets and shopping malls. In case of fraud in weighing, it should be controlled by the weights and measures department .If there is a quality defect, food products and ingredients should be monitored and controlled by food safety officials . If there is a difference in prices, the marketing department should respond. The departmental authorities should check and take action on complaints received from customers. But due to lack of coordination between the three government departments, raids and inspections never happen either. Consumers will only benefit if inspections are carried out extensively and action should be taken against violators according to law.

Many are voicing that there are differences in weight in the fish market. Armor resident N Bhavanapriya said that if you buy one and half a kilo of fish and put it in another quota, it will weigh only 1.2 kg, causing a loss of about 300 grams.

Siddi Lakshmi, a resident of Namdevada in Nizamabad, said that in some cases, plates weighing 100 to 200 grams were placed on a weighing machine and the weight was measured without making the monitor zero. "With this we are losing 10 to 20 per cent extra.

Gundu Venkanna, leader of the Armor Munnur Kapu Senior Citizens' Association, said every consumer bought goods with a fraudulent weight, 95 per cent are electronic weighing machines, consumers were losing between 100 and 200 grams by weighing liters, rather than measuring kg on the monitor.