Have you ever realized that you are cheated on weight almost daily by the road side venders of fruits and vegetables, or, your own favorite ‘permanent’ grocer? Perhaps not, because either you are too busy to bother about these small things, or, you think it would be a self-defeating exercise to argue with them or check their weighing scales.
Perhaps you also think it would not be worth the trouble to report the matter to the authorities concerned as no body cares about these small matters in this state of affairs. How are you going to prove your point? And how many of them can you quarrel with or report against? There are there all over the capital’s streets and pedestrians’ passages obstructing your way and exposing you to accidents besides under-weighing the wares.
Imagine the scene on weekdays bazaars— Som, Mangal, Budh bazaars. The amount of money cheated through under-weighing cannot be calculated. You accept the things as it appears better to be a cynic and accept the things as they are than risk your peace of mind and fight with the huge, monolithic and insensitive system.
A news item illustrates the point about the massive amount of cheating going on under your nose and eyes in the streets and roads of the capital.
The Weights and Measures Department conducted raids in several parts of the city in the recent weeks. It was found that almost half the fruit and vegetable vendors cheat you on weight. The raids in Sector 6 market in Dwarka revealed that out of 72 grocery shops, general stores, fruit and vegetable vendors 42 were found indulging in illegal trade practices.
"In percentage terms, this comes out to be 66 per cent. If this figure is taken as a sample for the rest of the city, the indications are that for every honest vendor there are two who do not follow the rules and regulations," said an official, who was part of the team which conducted the raid.
The raids on whole sale grain market in Narela, Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) at Okhla and Keshopur revealed the same deplorable state of affairs. There are also reports that the vendors and shopkeepers were found violating the provisions of Packaged Commodities Act and most of them were selling products without the MRP printed on them.