Upload pics of products, bills via app for redressal

New Delhi: Consumers in Delhi can now upload the pictures of a product, bill and other items via a new app to lodge a complaint on legal violations committed by a shop or an establishment with the city's weights and measures department.

The app -- "Maaptol Grievance" -- has recently been developed and is available on Google Playstore. The app aims to facilitate the online registration and time-bound redressal of consumer grievances related to the Legal Metrology Act and the rules framed thereunder, officials said on Sunday.

The complainant has to mention in the relevant fields of the software application his or her name and mobile number and the complete name and address of the shop or establishment where a violation of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 and the rules framed thereunder has been found, they said. In relevant cases, the complainant may upload photographs of the product related to the complaint and the bill, a senior official added.

The application will ask a complainant or consumer if he or she is at the establishment. If the complainant is at the establishment, the system shall trace the location of the establishment via Google, he said.

The grievances lodged on the app "shall be attended by the Weights and Measures Department, Delhi government in a time-bound manner, within two working days (48 hours)", according to an official statement. Any consumer who finds a violation with regard to goods being sold or distributed by weight, measure or number, or any shortcoming in the mandatory declarations on packaged goods and commodities according to the provisions of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 and the rules made thereunder can use the app for lodging a complaint with the weights and measures department. Broad categories of grievances related to goods or products being sold by retail shops or establishments can be registered on the app by a consumer or a complainant, including a deficiency in the mandatory declarations by the manufacturer or the packer or the importer on packaged goods, and overcharging.

Other categories comprise a short supply of goods or commodities, a short weight of LPG in gas cylinders, a short supply of petrol or diesel by a petrol pump, a short supply of CNG by a CNG pump outlet and weighbridges, the statement said. This online facility envisages protection of consumer interest by quick online registration of grievances through mobile phones and assures time-bound and effective redressal of consumer grievances, while keeping the complainant informed of the developments at each stage through text messages, it added.