Central Crime Branch sleuths held him for duping a businessman of R11.6 lakh by promising to get him a site under G category ufffd the Chief Minister's discretionary quota
MiD DAY exposes the blatant disregard for the Indian Standards Institution mark by manufacturers entering the industry, reveals how spurious products enter local market
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Fake Indian Standards Institution (ISI) stickers are most sought after by manufacturers entering the industry, and despite repeated complaints, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has done little to curb spurious products being sold without any authentication.
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| Spurious: Stalls at KSRTC bus stand were well stocked with food and beverages bearing names of brands unheard of. The packets read that product was quality tested and approved by the government of India |
The city has become a hotspot for spurious goods entering the market through various routes. Consumers looking for a good bargain are hoodwinked into buying these products, little knowing that almost all these items bear fake ISI marks and could cause harm in the long run.
The investigation team from this paper headed out to various locations in the city, and were taken aback to see such products being hocked openly.
At J C Road, the hub for fancy helmet lovers, prices start from Rs 400 and go up to Rs 4,000. All helmets being sold here bear fake ISI stickers of varying colours and some were in unusual fonts. Many did not even have an ISI mark and these, shop owners claimed, were imported especially for the Indian market.
It's a dealWhen questioned about whether the cops would penalise riders for not wearing helmets with the ISI mark, a shop owner said, "We have a deal with them, don't worry. They don't even check if a helmet has an ISI mark."
The team then went to SP Road, where electronic goods and components can be bought at throw away prices.
It was observed that DVDs, CDs, cassette players, home appliances, gas stoves and even copies of branded laptops were on display with ISI stickers.
When shopkeepers were asked about the authentication of the ISI mark, they nonchalantly said, "Who cares about that. If you like the product, buy it. In case you face problems, we'll buy it back from you and put another ISI sticker and resell it to others."
During the whole exercise, police personnel were spotted visiting these shops and they appeared to have a casual or even friendly rapport with the owners, and vice versa.
Tracking down the ISI racket with relation to ISI marks on edible items, the team headed to the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus stands, the City Railway station and the small tea stalls seen in every corner of the city. The KSRTC bus stand was well stocked with food and beverages bearing names of brands unheard of. The tetra packs read that the drink was quality tested and approved by the government of India.
Finally, the team headed to the furniture market in Shivaji Nagar area, where furniture from across the country can be found.
Who cares!Shopkeepers were offering wood of every variety, but when asked if the plywood used was ISI tested, they did not seem to have an answer.
One shopkeeper, when asked if he could put a fake ISI mark on a sofa so that it could be gifted to a friend, said that was definitely possible.
"No problem, we can put any mark you want on the furniture. If you want we can deliver it to the ISI department," he joked.
The situation is going bad to worse and the authorities continue to remain mum on the issue. Attempts to contact authorities from BIS, were met with barely understandable mumbles, following which the calls were rudely disconnected.
