Consumer body seeks crackdown on hallmark violations in Telangana

The Consumer Confederation of India has urged authorities to inspect gold jewellery businesses across Telangana following recent hallmark violations. It also sought stricter enforcement against substandard jewellery and demanded mandatory hallmarking for silver jewellery to better protect consumers.

Hanamkonda: The Consumer Confederation of India (CCI) has demanded that all gold jewellery businesses across Telangana be inspected in view of the hallmark violations that have recently come to light.

CCI national secretary Dr Pallepadu Damodar, speaking at a consumer awareness programme here, stated that officials of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) recently seized non-hallmarked jewellery worth Rs 10 crore from a single shop in Warangal.

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He said it was distressing that gold jewellery purchased at a cost of lakhs of rupees lacked quality and purity. He noted that the Central government regulations mandate a Hallmarking Unit Identification Number for every piece of gold jewellery sold in the market.

However, traders were allegedly acting arbitrarily by selling substandard jewellery and deceiving consumers. Legal Metrology officials should conduct intensive raids, Dr Damodar said.

Consumer Council national general secretary Sambaraju Chakrapani noted that traders were failing to include complete details in the receipts issued for the sale of gold and silver jewellery.

He pointed out that, particularly in the case of silver sales, the purity percentage was often not specified, creating the possibility that imitation materials such as nickel silver or German silver were being sold instead of genuine silver.

Chakrapani said numerous complaints related to gold, silver and jewellery were being filed in consumer courts. He urged officials of the Bureau of Indian Standards to make hallmarking mandatory for silver jewellery sales as well.

Consumer Advisory Committee members Indira, Kaviraj and Jyotsna, along with State joint secretary Ravula Ranjith Kumar, executive members Satish and Prashanth, and others were present.