The Gazetteers Department

THE WORK OF THE DIRECTORATE OF INDUSTRIES is mainly confined to the development and progress of cottage, small-scale and large-scale industries in the State.

The Officer directly in charge of cottage, small-scale and large-scale industries in. Satara district is the Deputy Director of Industries (Class I State Service), who has his headquarters at Poona, and whose jurisdiction also extends to the districts of Poona, Ahmadnagar, Sangli, Kolhapur, Sholapur and Osmanabad. He works directly under the Additional Industries Commissioner, Maharashtra State so far as small-scale and cottage industries are concerned and under the Director of Industries, Maharashtra State, Bombay, so far as large-scale industries are concerned. 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 Hyderabad Weights and Measures Act, 1356 Fasli, and the respective Rules thereunder. Under these three Acts, his functions relate to the enforcement of the Weights and Measures Act, collection of revenue in the form of fees for verification and/or reverification and stamping of weights and measures, etc. He is authorised to grant and/or renew registration under the Bombay Weights and Measures Act, 1932, and licences under the Bombay Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Act, 1958 to repairers of and/or dealers in weights and measures, weighing and/or measuring instruments etc. to applicants complying with the prescribed requirements under intimation to the Directorate of Industries. He is also designated as Deputy Controller of Weights and Measures under the Bombay Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Act, 1958. 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 by the Union Government. He 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 and Marks Act, 1958 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 (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; for essentiality certificate in connection with the import and for applications for raw materials and machinery, allotment of controlled materials such as iron and steel, cement, etc. and exports.

The Deputy Director of Industries is assisted in his work by an Industries Officer and other subordinate staff stationed at Poona. So far as Satara district is concerned he is assisted by an Industries Officer stationed at Satara and by three Junior Industries Inspectors and three Manual Assistants with their headquarters at Satara, Phaltan and Karad.

The duties assigned to the former Inspector of Weights and Measures under the Bombay Weights and Measures Act, 1932 and the Rules thereunder are now carried out by the Industries Inspectors who are also assigned duties under the Hyderabad Weights and Measures Act and Rules and the Bombay Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Act and Rules wherever these Acts are in force. The main purpose of these Acts 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 the Rules made under these Acts 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.

Weights and Measures Act.

The Standards of Weight and Measures Act, 1956 has established in India the standard weights and measures based on the Metric System. The changeover to the Metric System will, however be gradual, spread over 10 years. The Government of Maharashtra have enacted the complementary legislation, viz., Bombay Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Act, 1958, and the Rules thereunder.

It was decided by the State Government that the provisions of the Bombay Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Act, 1958 in so far as they relate to weights or measures should be introduced in a phased programme in specified areas of the State. So far as Satara district is concerned the exclusive use of Metric Weights for all transactions in trade and commerce has been made compulsory from October 1, 1961 in the Satara Municipal Area and in the rest of the district it came into effect along with all other areas of the State from April 1, 1962.

So far as measures of capacity in Metric units are concerned, the same have been introduced with effect from October 1, 1961 in municipal areas of Satara only with a transitional period of one year during which the use of old measures in seers and gallons will be permitted side by side with the measures in Metric units.

Collection of Statistics.

The Industries Inspectors have to carry out duties in connection with collection of statistics from scheduled industries coming under first schedule of the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951 employing 10 to 49 workers. Government of India has delegated to them the powers for collecting quarterly production statistics from such units under Industrial Undertakings (Collection of Information and Statistics) Rule, 1959. The units are required to submit quarterly statistical returns in the prescribed pro forma. The Inspectors have to ensure that the factories concerned maintain proper accounts and registers and have to render assistance in completing the returns They have also to attend to the work connected with the conduct of ad hoc surveys of various small-scale industries at the instance of the State Government and the Central Government. Besides, they have to carry out duties in connection with the registration of small-scale industrial undertakings in order to have a correct picture of various small-scale industries in the State.

Loan Schemes.

On transfer of the activities of cottage industries to the Directorate of Industries with effect from December 1, 1960, the Deputy Director of Industries, Poona, has to look after the work of following loan schemes:-

(1) Grant of loans under State Aid to Industries Rules.

(2) Loans to backward class artisans.

(3) Loans to trained or bona-fide artisans.

(4) Loans to educated unemployed persons.

Training Schools and Production Centres.

In addition to the above loan schemes the following cottage industries training schools and production centres are working in Satara district which are looked after by the Deputy Director of Industries Poona:-

(1) Carpentry and Smithy School, Karad.

(2) Pit Tanning Centre, Satara.

(3) Retanning and Finishing Unit, Satara.

An Industrial estate is being established at Karad where 20 factory sheds have been constructed for locating small-scale industrial units.

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