DIBRUGARH, April 6— The Weights & Measures official at the Assam Legal Metrology department have found to their dismay that the Northeast Frontier Railway is flouting the Standards of Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Act, 1985 and the Assam Standards of Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Rules, 1994. While the Railways have taken no steps to make good the flaws, the Assam Government too has lost some revenue in the process, as stamping and verification of measurement apparatus by the Legal Metrology Department (LMD) yields some fees.
Though the Railway maintains that the diesel filling unit at the New Tinsukia station is the responsibility of Indian Oil Corporation (Marketing Division), LMD inspectors have been generally ignored by both the Central government units by not replying to letters.
The bone of contention is that in the New Tinsukia station yard, there are two flow meters attached to two vertical diesel storage tanks. Diesel from these two tanks is used to top up the fuel tanks of diesel locomotives. LMD inspector Devajit Borah says that on a daily average basis, 20,000 litres of diesel is consumed daily by the NFR train locomotives that pass through the busy train junction. The flow meters were installed in the year 1995. In all these years, these have neither been stamped nor verified by the LMD office.
Borah told The Assam Tribune that stamping and verification of measuring apparatus are obligatory under the rules as set by the government. He said that the Railways have violated Section 22 and 24(2) of the Act of 1985 and Section 15(1) of the Rules of 1994. After having discovered the anomalies, he wrote to the Divisional Railway Manager at Tinsukia, General Manager, Northeast Frontier Railway, Maligaon, Guwahati and the IOC Marketing Division’s divisional manager at Noonmati, Guwahati. All his letters have elicited no response.
“I have the authority to seal the apparatus,” he said, and added: “But that might lead to a law and order situation because this would block refilling of diesel in the train locomotives.”
The vertical diesel tanks at the New Tinsukia station yard too have not been re-calibrated after the earlier certification expired in February 2002. Each calibration and stamping certificate brings about Rs 3000 to the State Government by way of the LMD’s processing fees.
Borah said that as per the weights and measures laws, the user of unstamped quantification machines are also to be held as offenders. In this case, the Railways therefore cannot wash its hands off by saying that the IOC should be handling the weights and measures rules.
He has also discovered another flagrant violation of the LMD laws at various railway stations: The parcel weighing machines at most major stations over the NF Railway are not stamped for accuracy by the LMD. These machines can be seen on the platforms of all the major railway stations, as well as their lack of certification.
DU bill scam: Even as the bill forgery scandal remains a mystery to many, not much is known about the inquiry that has been ordered by the Dibrugarh University executive council on March 12. The council had deputed two senior teachers of the varsity, Amarendra Nath Phukan and Homeswar Goswami to conduct an investigation and place its report by March 31.
The Dibrugarh University administration is yet to take any action on any employee of this office. Only two personnel of the accounts department have been placed under suspension.
DDC meet: A meeting of the district development council here was held on Thursday at the DC’s office here, and was presided over by ADC Bhuban Chandra Borah. The meeting reviewed progress of works at the Buri Dehing lift irrigation scheme. The irrigation department engineer informed that land for channels 4 and 5 of the project have been acquired. The electrification works of the project are facing some problems.
At the meeting, the district agricultural officer informed that 1009 Kishan Credit Cards worth Rs 1.26 crore have been distributed among farmers during the just concluded financial year. The PWD’s executive engineer explained progress of work under the Prime Minister’s Gram Sarak Yojana in the district.