The Gazetteers Department

THE WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIES is mainly confined to the development of small-scale and large-scale industries in the State. The work connected with development of fisheries was transferred to the Director of Fisheries, Bombay, in April 1945 and that in connection with development of cottage industries was transferred in December 1946 to the Joint Registrar of Industrial Co-operatives and Village Industries, Poona. Its control over technical education and the various schemes related to it was transferred in June 1948 to the Director of Technical Education, Bombay.

The officer directly in charge of small-scale and large-scale industries in the Ratnagiri district is the Deputy Director of Industries, Bombay Region [Class-I Maharashtra Industries Service (State)] who has his headquarters at Bombay, and whose jurisdiction also extends to the districts of Jalgaon, Dhulia, Nasik, Thana, Kolaba and Greater Bombay. He works directly under the Director of Industries, Maharashtra State. He is also in charge of work connected with the administration of the Bombay Weights and Measures Act XV of 1932, the Bombay Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Act (LXIX of 1958) and the Industrial Statistics Act (XIX of 1942). Under the former two Acts, his functions relate to enforcement of the Weights and Measures Act, collection of revenue in the form of fees for verification and/or re-verification and stamping of weights and measures, etc. and sanctioning prosecutions for breaches of the Acts in his region. He is also authorised to grant registration to repairers of and dealers in weights and measures, weighing and measuring instruments, etc. or the applicants complying with the requirements, under intimation to the Director of Industries. Under the Industrial Statistics Act, he is responsible for collection of industrial statistics in the prescribed form from the registered factories covered by the Census of Manufacturers in the district. He is required to render all possible assistance to the occupiers of factories with a view to obtaining statistical returns, complete in all respects, in good time. He also collects industrial and commercial information on a voluntary basis as and when required either by the State or the Union Government. He also undertakes investigations in connection with cases of trade disputes with parties in the district referred to by Indian embassies abroad or foreign embassies in India. Cases of breaches of the provisions of the Trade Marks Act (V of 1940), Indian Merchandise Marks Act (IV of 1889) or Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act (XII of 1950), are also investigated by him. In addition, he is empowered to sanction loans under the State-Aid to Industries Rules to the limit of Rs. 1,000 in each case, to applicants in his jurisdiction, subject to the condition that the total amount sanctioned by him does not exceed Rs. 5,000 in any one year. His miscellaneous duties extend to investigation of applications (made for industrial purposes) from parties in his area for a licence under the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951, for requirements of power, water, land acquisition, erection of buildings and for essentiality certificates in connection with the import, export and purchase of controlled materials such as iron and steel, cement, etc.

The Deputy Director of industries is assisted by the Assistant Director of Industries who is a class I officer. Their jurisdiction extends over the entire region. The Industries Officer (Class II, Maharashtra Industries Service) is in charge of the sub-divisional office at Thana. Ratnagiri district comes within the jurisdiction of the Industries Officer, Thana. In addition, he is assisted by three Industries Inspectors and three manual assistants stationed in Ratnagiri District, as given below:-

(1) Northern Division-Chiplun.

(2) Central Division-Ratnagiri.

(3) Southern Division-Malvan.

The duties assigned to the former inspectors of weights and measures under the Bombay Weights and Measures Rules are now carried out by the industries inspectors. The main purpose of the Bombay Weights and Measures Act is to provide for the adoption and compulsory use of standard weights and measures in the State. No weight or measure or weighing or measuring instrument may be sold, delivered or used for trade, unless it has been verified or re-verified in the manner prescribed by Rules made under the Act and stamped by an inspector with a stamp of verification. Fees are fixed for verification, stamping, etc. It is the duty of the inspectors to carry out the verification and stamping and collect the fees.

The Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1956, has established the Standard Weights and Measures based on the Metric System in India. The change over to the Metric System will however be gradual, spread over ten years. The then Government of Bombay enacted the complementary legislation, viz. the Bombay Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Act, 1958, for the enforcement of the standard weights and measures, based on the Metric System in the State. Rules under the Act, viz., Bombay Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Rules, 1958, have also been framed by the Government.

It has initially been decided by the Government that the provisions of the Bombay Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Act, 1958, so far as they relate to weights only, should come into force in certain specified areas of the State, from 1st October, 1958.

So far as Ratnagiri district is concerned, the Act, has not been enforced at any place for the present. It will, however, be made applicable to the whole of Ratnagiri district gradually along with other parts of the State.

Industries Inspectors have also to carry out duties in connection with collection of statistics, statutory as well as voluntary. The statutory collection of statistics under the Industrial Statistics Act, 1942, was started from the year 1946. The scope of the census conducted thereunder was limited to some 29 industries employing 20 or more workers and using power. The Collection of Statistics Act, 1953, came into force in November 1956, repealing the Industrial Statistics Act, 1942. As final arrangements for implementation of Collection of Statistics Act are not yet finalised by the Government of India, the census, at present, is being conducted as hitherto but on voluntary basis.

Occupiers of the factories amenable to the census of manufacturing industries are required to submit statistical returns, every year, in the prescribed forms, and Inspectors have to ensure that proper accounts and registers are maintained by them for this purpose. They are also required to render reasonable assistance in completing the returns in good time.

In addition to the census of manufacturing industries, ad hoc surveys of different industries are undertaken by the department for which special questionnaires are devised. Inspectors are required to approach the occupiers for getting them filled in properly with necessary information.

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