Dimapur, Jan 24 (MExN): The central government has amended the Standard of Weights & Measures (Packaged Commodities) Rules 1977 and is come into affect from January 14, 2007.
The amended rules include a clause that all retailers covered under Value Added Tax (VAT) or Turnover Tax (TOT) and dealing in packaged commodities shall maintain electronic machines. Retailers dealing in packaged commodities, whose net content declaration is by weight or volume or a combination thereof, are to maintain an electronic weighing machine of at least accuracy Class-III with the smallest division of at least 1 g. This should be with a facility to issue a printed receipt indicating among other things, the gross quantity, price and the like at a prominent place in their retail premises free of cost for benefit of consumers, the amendment states.
Department of Legal Metrology & Consumer Protection Joint Controller VH Zhimomi also informed that there are rumors in some parts of Nagaland that usage of other weighing machines such as beam scales, counter scales, mechanical platform machine etc., have become illegal. The department clarified that this is not true and all weighing and measuring instruments, electronic and mechanical, are legal as long as they are verified and stamped by the department.
