CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: Legal Metrology Minister Sanbor Shullai has fired off a stringent 60-day deadline to his department, demanding a full enforcement report after uncovering that violations in weights and measures across Meghalaya have gone largely unchecked for more than fifty years. Chairing a state-level review meeting in Shillong, Shullai said he was “shocked and disappointed” to learn that despite rampant malpractice in markets, fuel stations, weighbridges, and essential commodities trade, the department has barely penalized anyone since 1972.
The meeting exposed an extraordinary manpower crisis, with only 13 inspectors tasked with covering the entire state. “This shortage has paralysed enforcement,” Shullai said, while directing officials to submit district-wise staffing proposals. Additional Secretary Aldealyne Nikhla described the situation as “alarming,” adding, “One inspector cannot handle an entire district. They are diverted to election duty, VIP duty, meetings—everything except actual field inspections.”
Shullai ordered surprise inspections to begin on Friday, starting with petrol pumps, followed by weighbridges and other commercial establishments. Citing the film Nayak to underscore the urgency of action, he said, “One day of sincere work can expose thousands of irregularities. I want that level of seriousness.”
Nikhla highlighted the daily losses faced by low-income families due to underweight and under-measure practices. “If someone earns Rs 150 a day and loses Rs 10 on every purchase, imagine the cumulative theft,” she said. “This department exists to protect the poorest.”
Asked why enforcement had collapsed for decades, Nikhla acknowledged widespread shock within the department over the near-zero detection rate, remarking, “Maybe the importance of the department never sank in. Maybe inspections simply didn’t happen.”
Shullai urged citizens to report malpractices at shops, fuel stations, weighbridges, or in packaged goods. “Complain to the inspector, the police, or even directly to me. Action will be taken,” he said, adding that while past awareness campaigns were never sustained, this time enforcement and public outreach would run simultaneously.
Declaring an end to what he called an era of “passive enforcement,” Shullai said, “This department safeguards every citizen’s right to get what they pay for. From today, we begin fixing what was ignored for far too long.”
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