Legal metrology

realtors

1976 law

colonial measurement system

department slaps notices on two dozeninsisting that metric ‘metre’ must be used as per aOrdinary citizens, especially those looking to invest in land or building, will have to brush up on their math. The legal metrology department has taken a dim view of builders and developers using the, never mind that the usage of ‘sq ft’ in property matters is popular and widespread.The department has issued notice to nearly two dozen builders and developers in the city for using ‘sq ft’ as unit of measure in their advertisements. The notices were issued over the last three months by eight ‘flying squad’ inspectors. Some developers have been issued multiple notices and are liable to pay Rs 10,000 as fine for each notice. One builder has had as many as six notices which amount to a total penalty of Rs 60,000. If the fine is not paid, a criminal case will be registered against the builder/developer in the magistrate court.While it might appear a storm in a teacup, the legal metrology department is well within its limits. The use of the imperial system is illegal and the department is the enforcing agency of the government, tasked with ensuring that the metric system is used in businesses. Land and building, therefore, has to be measured in metres.“This is not a new law,” said M Shivanna, one of the inspectors of the department. “It has been there since 1976, but was not properly implemented. In the last three months, there is a focus on it. Many builders have started using ‘sq metres’ with ‘sq ft’ measurements in brackets. Strictly speaking, even this is illegal.”But builders say the department is unnecessarily targeting some of them. A spokesperson for one of the builders against whom a case has been filed, said, “If you look at property advertisements, almost every builder without exception mentions measurements in feet because it is the popular usage and one that people understand. The department could have set a deadline for everyone to follow the rule instead of unnecessarily filing cases.”The department though revealed that it would intensify its drive. “For the first offence, which is compoundable, a penal provision of penalty is fixed at Rs 10,000,” Shivanna said.He added, “For repeated offences, a case is filed in the magistrate court. Two developers, Sobha Developers and Puravankara, have approached the High Court for a stay. In the end, everyone will have to comply with the law. In the last three months, the compliance average is 50 per cent. Prior to that, it was almost nil.”Prashanth Sambargi, partner, Mars Realty, says issuing revised advertisements is the easy part. Getting through to customers will be far more difficult. “It will be like changing from left-hand drive to right-hand drive,” he said. “Different regions used different measurements. In areas of the erstwhile Madras Presidency, the unit used was cents. In the erstwhile Nizam territory it is guntas and in Kerala, cents. Bangalore for long used feet.”S R Venkatesh, chief of the legal metrology department, said, “Transition takes time. In measuring %distance, kilometre has replaced mile. In liquid measurements, litre by and large has replaced gallon. It is only in area measurement that the imperial system still persists. The common man cannot be blamed. But the seller cannot ignore the law. It may take some time, but we have to implement the law."The most common measurement of a residential site is 30 ft x 40 ft or 1,200 sq ft. This is generally mentioned in metric system as 9 metres x 12 metres or 111.5 sq m (although 108 sq m, it is conveniently rounded off). But in reality, the metric measurement is 9.144 mx 12.192 m or 111.4836 sq m. If the measurement in metric system is rounded off like in the first example, future 30x40ft sites will be smaller by 3.5 sq ft. On the other hand, 60 ft x 40 ft sites could become slightly ‘bigger’. A60 ft x 40 ft site would now be 18.288 m x 12.192 m totalling 222.9673 sq m. For the sake of convenience these figures could be rounded off as 18x12 m or 223 sq m, a gain of 0.327 metres or 3.5 sq ft.