Shillong, Dec 5: In an unusually tough stand on governance, Legal Metrology Minister Sanbor Shullai has given his department just 60 days to demonstrate real enforcement—after discovering that for over five decades, violations in weights and measures across Meghalaya have gone virtually unchecked.
Chairing a state-level review meeting in Shillong, Shullai said he was “shocked and disappointed” to learn that, despite rampant irregularities in markets, fuel stations, weighbridges, and the trade of essential commodities, the department had barely penalised anyone since 1972.
A State Run by 13 Inspectors
The review laid bare a staggering manpower crisis: Meghalaya has only 13 inspectors to cover the entire state.
“This shortage has paralysed enforcement,” Shullai said, directing senior officials to immediately prepare district-wise staffing proposals.
Additional Secretary Aldealyne Nikhla described the situation as “alarming.”
“One inspector cannot handle an entire district. They are diverted to election duty, VIP duty, meetings—everything except actual field inspections,” she said.
Inspections Begin Tomorrow
Shullai has ordered ground-level officers to begin surprise inspections starting Friday, beginning with petrol pumps, then weighbridges, and other commercial establishments.
Drawing from popular culture, he cited the film Nayak:
“One day of sincere work can expose thousands of irregularities. I want that level of seriousness.”
Nikhla noted that consumers—particularly low-income families—are the worst affected, often losing up to 20% in weight or quantity when buying daily essentials.
“If someone earns ₹150 a day and loses ₹10 on every purchase, imagine the cumulative theft,” she said. “This department exists to protect the poorest.”
Decades of Neglect
When asked why the department had failed for so many years, Nikhla said even officials were stunned by the near-zero detection record.
Maybe the importance of the department never sank in. Maybe inspections simply didn’t happen,” she remarked candidly.
Shullai urged citizens to report any cheating at shops, fuel stations, weighbridges, or through packaged goods.
“Complain to the inspector, the police, or even directly to me. Action will be taken,” he assured.
He added that earlier awareness campaigns were never sustained, but this time enforcement and public outreach would go hand in hand.
Key Directives Issued
60-day deadline for a comprehensive enforcement and violations report
Immediate statewide surprise inspections
Proposal to deploy at least one inspector per district
Public awareness drive to empower consumers.
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.”
