NEW DELHI: The Delhi government will set up state-of-art laboratories to save time and efforts being consumed in procuring necessary verification, stamping and calibration of the weights and measuring instruments or devices. The labs will come up at the new office complex of the legal metrology department in Vishwas Nagar of east Delhi.
Delhi’s food and supply minister Imran Hussain on Thursday laid the foundation stone of the new office complex.Padmini Singla, Secretary (legal metrology) and commissioner, food civil supplies and consumer Affairs; Azimul Haque and other senior officials of the department were present on the ocassion.
The minister said that the project would bring relief to people especially those living in east and northeast Delhi as the applicants will not need to travel far to get necessary verification, stamping and calibration of the weights and measuring instruments or devices.
Hussain added that the existing Taxi Meter Unit from Wazirpur Industrial Area will be shifted to the new building at Vishwas Nagar, which is more centrally located and easily accessible. The new building is being constructed by the Public Work Department (PWD) at an estimated cost of Rs 5.92 crores. The project is scheduled to be completed by November.
The new office complex will house three zonal offices of the department including six working standard laboratories, one secondary laboratory, one taxi meter unit and also the office of controller, weights and measures.
The minister also lauded the efforts of the department made during the lockdown for ensuring the prices of essential commodities such as hand sanitizers and face masks under check. During the Covid pandemic, 2,650 inspections were conducted by the field staff and 1,673 prosecutions were initiated besides 133 FIRs.
The department carries out regular or surprise inspections in the markets, fair price shops, petrol pumps, and gas agencies to check whether measuring and weighing units bear valid verification stamps and deliver correct weight, measure or volume of commodities.
The department initiates prosecution action against short measurement, use of defective and non-standard weights and measures. It department also undertakes verification or calibration of auto-rickshaws or taxi fare meters, tank lorries, and petrol dispensing units.