VIJAYAWADA: Vigilance and Enforcement (V&E) officials raided an electrical weighing instruments manufacturing unit in Satyanarayanapuram late on Friday night and found that a private person is applying metal seals to electronic weighing machines which should have been done by the Legal Metrology (LM) officials. V&E SP M Ravindranath said that proprietor of Star Weighing Machines Sohaib Khan had approached Vigilance officials a few days ago. Sohaib Khan complained that Legal Metrology officials are encouraging illegal practices in the process of sealing and stamping of weighing instruments by appointing a person named Pilla Narayana.
According to rules, all these instruments, weights and measurements must be certified by the district inspector in the presence of the manufacturer. “But for the past seven years, the private person is applying government seal and stamps in all the weighing machines manufactured in the city and certifying it in the capacity of the district inspector. When we conducted searches in Narayana’s house, we found metal tags, seals and office stamps in the name of the district inspector. Possessing government-related stamps and seals is illegal. In fact, Legal Metrology officials gave total responsibility to engage the private party by giving him salary,” said Ravindranath.
In his complaint, Sohaib Khan stated that private person is demanding `500 on every instrument though he paid licence fees to the department. When asked Narayana who appointed him, he confessed to his crime.
It is also believed that SP asked police to file cases against Legal Metrology officials concerned for dereliction of duty.