SHAH ALAM: A total of 12,519 cases involving offences under the Weights and Measures Act (ATS) 1972 were recorded by the enforcement division of the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry nationwide from 2020 to September this year.
The ministry's deputy-director of Enforcement (Prevention) Aris Mamat said the statistics reflected the ministry's ongoing and proactive efforts to ensure that traders adhered to the integrity of weights and measures in buying and selling for the benefit of consumers.
"We are committed to protecting consumers and consistently ensuring that traders adhere to established standards. Those found to have committed irregularities or non-compliance will not evade strict enforcement actions.
"A violation of the provisions under the ATS 1972 could result in a maximum fine of RM40,000, imprisonment for up to three years, or both, and the court may also order the forfeiture of the weighing instrument,” he said on Tuesday (Oct 15).
He said this after heading a team of 20 ministry enforcement officers to perform spot checks at three petrol stations around Kuala Selangor to ensure that the fuel charged to consumers matched the amount supplied through pump dispensers.
Elaborating, Aris said that the ATS 1972 enforcement compliance inspections at petrol stations led to actions against the misuse of subsidised diesel fuel under Ops Tiris, resulting in the seizure of diesel valued at approximately RM16.5mil from January to September this year.
"This brings the total amount of diesel seized from 2020 to 2024 to RM52.68mil,” he said.
Commenting on Tuesday's operation, Aris said that it focused on several key aspects, including the accuracy of oil pumps and meters, testing the volume of fuel dispensed, and reviewing the maintenance records of weighing and measuring equipment.
He added that checks revealed all the petrol stations involved complied with the weighing and measuring regulations set.
"Regarding the enforcement actions under the ATS 1972 in Selangor, we recorded a total of 283 cases from January to September last year, with confiscated items amounting to RM2.6mil,” he said.
