New Delhi: In a bold move to enforce quality control standards, India’s Bureau of Indian Standards raided the Delhi warehouses of e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart, confiscating goods worth a staggering Rs 76 lakh. The seized products included essential household items like geysers and food mixers, along with sports shoes, all lacking the necessary certification marks that ensure consumer safety and product reliability.
The Bureau of Indian Standards conducted these raids as part of its ongoing efforts to curb the sale of substandard goods in India. Amazon’s warehouse, located in the Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area, was the site of a 15-hour operation on March 19. Authorities confiscated over 3,500 products, primarily electrical items such as geysers and food mixers, valued at approximately Rs 70 lakh. These items either lacked the mandatory ISI marks or bore fake labels, signaling a significant breach of quality control regulations.
In a separate operation, Flipkart’s unit, Instakart Services Pvt Ltd, based in Trinagar, was also raided. The BIS seized nearly 590 pairs of sports shoes, ready for dispatch but missing essential certification marks. The seized sports shoes were valued at around Rs 6 lakh.
Amazon and Flipkart are the dominant forces in India’s burgeoning e-commerce sector, which was valued at between $57 billion and $60 billion in 2023. The sector is expected to expand exponentially, potentially reaching a value of $160 billion by 2028. Despite their market influence, both companies have faced regulatory scrutiny, with recent accusations of violating local competition laws by favoring select sellers.
Both Amazon and Flipkart have maintained that they adhere to local laws, though they did not immediately comment on the recent raids. Their compliance claims are under intense scrutiny as the government continues to crack down on non-compliant products across India.
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