A new app called “Maaptol Grievance” has been developed and is available on Google Playstore for consumers in Delhi to lodge complaints on legal violations committed by shops or establishments with the city’s weights and measures department. The app aims to facilitate the online registration and time-bound redressal of consumer grievances related to the Legal Metrology Act and the rules framed thereunder. To file a complaint, the complainant must mention their name, mobile number, and the complete name and address of the shop or establishment where a violation has been found. They may also upload photographs of the product related to the complaint and the bill. If the complainant is at the establishment, the system shall trace the location of the establishment via Google. The grievances lodged on the app “shall be attended by the Weights and Measures Department, Delhi government in a time-bound manner, within two working days (48 hours)”. Any consumer who finds a violation with regard to goods being sold or distributed by weight, measure or number, or any shortcoming in the mandatory declarations on packaged goods and commodities according to the provisions of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 and the rules made thereunder can use the app for lodging a complaint with the weights and measures department. The app covers broad categories of grievances related to goods or products being sold by retail shops or establishments, including a deficiency in mandatory declarations, overcharging, short supply of goods or commodities, short weight of LPG in gas cylinders, short supply of petrol or diesel by a petrol pump, short supply of CNG by a CNG pump outlet and weighbridges. This online facility aims to protect consumer interest by allowing quick online registration of grievances through mobile phones and assures time-bound and effective redressal of consumer grievances while keeping the complainant informed of the developments at each stage through text messages.
