The
next time you are worried about whether it is safe to drink packaged water of a
particular brand or if the newly purchased electronic iron box is durable, you
could actually get it tested for quality.
The
Bureau of Indian Standards, Southern Regional Office, has launched a facility
for consumers to get samples of various products affixed with the ISI mark
tested. From thermometers, electric home appliances including water heaters and
toasters to iodised salt and milk powder, consumers can get any ISI-certified
product tested.
Until
now, BIS had been testing the samples either at the manufacturing point to
provide licences or conducting surprise checks to detect any misuse of the ISI
mark.
Several
people and consumer activists welcomed the move. “I am glad that I can now get
a home appliance tested. This will help choose branded products better. BIS
should also guide us on further steps to get them replaced,” said S.Bhuvana, a
resident of Ashok Nagar.
Officials
of BIS said that there are over 19,000 standards for various products. Of
these, BIS has made ISI certification mandatory for 90 products. Consumers may
submit the products on working days and get them tested at the BIS office on
CIT campus, Fourth Cross Road, Taramani.
They
can contact 22541442/22542519 or mail sro@bis.org.in for any
clarification.
The
charges and time needed for the results will vary according to the products.
For instance, the charges to test certain parameters of packaged drinking water
or a pressure cooker would be around Rs. 2,000. If the sample is found to be
faulty, the charges would be reimbursed, officials said.
R.
Desikan of Consumer Association of India said BIS must charge reasonably and
provide the results faster to encourage more consumers to use the facility.
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