Janakpur Office Takes Action Against Over 1,000 Traders in Seven Months for Weights and Measures Violations

Janakpurdham. The Office of Weights and Measures, Janakpurdham, has taken action against 1,015 traders and industrialists in the first seven months of the current fiscal year 2082/83. Office Chief Sunil Kumar Yadav informed that action was taken against those using weighing scales without a license, cheating consumers, and failing to renew their licenses on time.

During the same period, the office issued new weights and measures licenses to 626 traders and renewed the weighing instruments of 1,397 traders. Office Chief Yadav stated that revenue of Rs 2,546,604 was collected from monitoring, renewal, action, and license issuance during this period.

In the last fiscal year, the office provided licenses to 917 new traders and industrial establishments to operate weighing instruments for business transactions. The office, whose jurisdiction covers five districts—Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Sindhuli, and Ramechhap—has been issuing new weights and measures licenses to traders in these districts. Furthermore, the office reported that it takes action against irregularities related to weights and measures, conducts monitoring and inspection, and issues weighing instrument licenses across all five districts.

Office Chief Yadav stated that during the period in question, 2,043 industrialists and business firms were penalized and prosecuted for cheating in weights and measures and for failing to renew their weighing instruments for a long time. He mentioned that the penalized traders and industrialists were brought under the legal framework after being fined because they were found to be arbitrarily using various types of weights and measures (including digital) scales.

According to the details received from the office, action and fines were imposed based on the findings during field deployment, monitoring, and the use of weighing instruments conducted from Shrawan to Ashar of FY 2081/82, Yadav noted. The received details indicate that the weighing instruments of 2,630 traders were inspected during that period.

Chief Yadav informed that awareness campaigns regarding the use of weighing instruments, penalties for weight discrepancies, and legal actions were conducted in Lalbandi and Haribon Municipalities in Sarlahi, Gaushala in Mahottari, Manthali Municipality in Ramechhap, and Kamala Mai Municipality in Sindhuli.

Chief Yadav further informed that during the period, the office collected revenue of Rs 5,101,960 from various headings, including 29 individual monitoring sessions, 272 monitoring sessions of business firms, 18 joint monitoring sessions, and 499 monitoring sessions of business firms. In FY 2080/81, the office had collected revenue of Rs 4,067,242.

Additionally, since the office, which operates across five districts, does not have its own building, it is providing services from a small rented space. Yadav complained that operational efficiency is being hampered due to the lack of vehicle facilities for field deployment and monitoring, and a shortage of budget for office operations.