Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has approved a penalty increase of Rs 5,000 to Rs 1 lakh for the deployment and manufacture of non-standard weights and measures under the modified Delhi Legal Metrology (Enforcement) Rules, 2011.
The penalties for using non-standard weights or measures have increased from Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 for shops, Rs 10,000 for wholesale dealers, and Rs 50,000 for the petroleum industry.
Manufacturing non-standard weights or measures now carries a penalty of Rs 1 lakh, up from Rs 2,000. In addition, the penalty for selling non-standard packages has been quadrupled, from Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 for shops and Rs 25,000 for producers.
These modifications, which are consistent with recent reforms under the federal government’s Jan Vishwas Act, 2023, aim to considerably improve consumer protection measures and promote equitable market operations.
The acceptance of these modifications allows the Delhi government to increase compounding fees for specific violations, to discourage infractions and encourage compliance.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has advised state governments to adjust compounding fees under the law, releasing a draft model to ensure consistency across jurisdictions. This approach is consistent with the decriminalized provisions of the Legal Metrology Act of 2009, guaranteeing consistency.