The government announced amendments to the Legal Metrology (Government Approved Test Centre) Rules, 2013, aiming to enhance efficiency and support the increasing use of cleaner fuels nationwide. One significant change is the expansion of government-approved test centers (GATCs) to include verification of additional fuel dispensing systems, which is expected to improve verification services. State governments are now empowered to designate more categories of weights and measures for verification through GATCs.
The amendment sets the verification fee for petrol and diesel dispensers at Rs 5,000 per nozzle, while CNG, LPG, LNG, and Hydrogen dispensers will be charged Rs 10,000 per nozzle. Five new categories of dispensing systems, including CNG and LNG dispensers, have been added to the list of instruments that GATCs can verify. This brings the total to 23 categories of weights and measures that GATCs can handle under the Legal Metrology framework.
Government officials stated that the inclusion of CNG, LNG, and Hydrogen dispensers in the GATC framework is timely as the use of cleaner fuels is on the rise in India. This move is expected to ensure accurate fuel delivery and enhance transparency in transactions. GATCs, equipped with necessary infrastructure and technical expertise, play a crucial role in verifying specified weights and measures under the Legal Metrology Act and Rules. By engaging qualified private laboratories and industries, the GATC system helps expand verification capacity and improve access to verification services.
