A series of inspections conducted by the Legal Metrology Department (LMD) have revealed that some fuel stations in the Port City are cheating consumers by tampering with meters of the dispensing machines, giving customers less than they pay for.
After LMD sleuths found M/S Sri Venkata Ramana Filling and Servicing Station, a Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) petrol bunk at Balayya Sastry Layout, tampering with the fuel dispensing machine with the help of remote based system during surprise checks on March 20, the department is gearing up to conduct similar raids on all 220 fuel stations in the district, including 70 in Vizag city alone, in the near future to detect such cases, pointed out LMD officials.
MNS Madhuri, assistant controller, legal metrology, Visakhapatnam district, said a case had been registered against HPCL in the matter and the tampered unit seized under Section 15 of the Legal Metrology Act 2009. The case was registered for tampering with the dispensing machine made by Coimbatore-based Gilbarco. The case was registered after the service engineer of the manufacturer clarified that the additional attachments did not belong to Gilbarco and that the machine was modified after it was supplied by the company.
"On a tip off our staff went to the outlet and inspected the dispensing machines and found additional/suspicious attachments to the PCB (printed circuit board) of the machine. This remote controlled device enables the machines to dispense less petrol than that being displayed on the machine," Madhuri said.
On the other hand, consumer rights' activists alleged that some fuel stations in the district start dispensing petrol or diesel when the meter shows 10 ml instead of zero and that fleecing each customer of even a few drops of fuel translates into a profit of lakhs of rupees for the dealer. Datti Ravi Kumar, president, Consumer Rights Organisation (CRO), Visakhapatnam district, said that the case against HPCL by the LMD has exposed the magnitude of the fraud being perpetrated by fuel stations in the district.
"As per the CRO's observations and complaints received by consumers, nearly 20% of the fuel stations in the district are tampering with meters. We brought the problem to the notice of officials on several occasions, including the World Consumer's Day on December 24, but the practice continues unabated," Ravi Kumar added.
Many motorists too were of the opinion that they too suspected they were cheated at some outlets but were unable to come forward to file complaints or argue with the fuel station outlets. "In some fuel stations, the attention of consumers is diverted by the staff so that they cannot pay attention to the meter while the fuel is being dispensed," said Mani Sharma, a retired SBI employee at Dwarakangar.
