Consumers frequenting the central vegetable market at Mattuthavani can now instantly verify the weight of vegetables bought by them.
The Labour and Employment department has started a kiosk-type facility with two electronic weighing machines at the market. Staff from the department will be available to aid shoppers in the checking process.
Collector K. Veera Raghava Rao, who commissioned the weighing machines on Monday, undertook a random check of weights used by vendors. Inspector of Labour S. P. Shanthi told The Hindu that checking and stamping of weights must be done once a year. Electronic scales would be checked once in two years.
“If the machines of vendors are found to be faulty, we issue a notice and levy fine, starting from ₹5,000. They may also be taken to court if they fail to pay the fine,” she said.
Deputy Inspector of Labour R. Satheesh Kumar said that this initiative would give people a two-fold benefit. First, consumers will be empowered as they will be allowed to demand justice from vegetable vendors who cheat them. Second, vendors will be discouraged from pulling wool over the eyes of consumers as they will be held accountable by the Labour department.
Officials said that most of the complaints registered on the Tamil Nadu Legal Metrology Complaint Tracking System (TNLMCTS), an App to lodge complaints from Android mobiles, specifically focused on ‘faulty weights.’ Thousands flood the vegetable market on weekends. However, only 37 complaints have been received on the App so far. Consumers now have the option of choosing between the digital and the tech-free kiosk mediums.
R. Kannan, a juice seller, said that this interesting initiative would discourage vendors from cheating customers.
K. Madhuvanthi, a regular visitor to the market, said that she was looking forward to using the weighing machine.
“Many vendors are sweet and assist you through the process of buying,” Ms. Madhuvanthi said.
Customers can also reach out to the area Labour Inspector, who will be on rounds, to lodge a complaint.
