Consumer Affairs dept set to put cork on cineplexes for sky-high price of food & beverages

Kolkata: The state Consumer Affairs department is all set to put a tight leash on the cineplexes in the city, where food, particularly snacks, are sold at an exorbitant price.

There have been a number of complaints on the helpline number of the department, as well as written requests from consumers to address the issue with priority.

"We believe that charging such a high price for food is a practice against the consumer's interest. We will soon hold a meeting with the owners of the cineplexes across the city, where items like popcorn and chips, snacks like burger, sandwich etc. and even drinks like tea and coffee are sold at very high rates. Things that are available in the range of Rs 50 to 100 are often charged Rs 250-300 and people visiting the cineplexes for enjoying movies are compelled to buy them as the authorities do not allow any food from outside. We are hopeful that the issue can be addressed through talks with the authorities," said a senior official of the state Consumer Affairs department.

Many people nowadays have health issues, for which they are not permitted to consume outside food. A good number of people have also pointed out that some of them do not allow even drinking water from outside in the movie halls, thereby forcing them to buy water from the food outlets in the cineplexes.

It may be mentioned that many single screen movie theatres across the city have closed down in the recent past while several cineplexes have come up in the city and the suburbs, where people go to watch movies.

"We are committed to project Bengal as a consumer-friendly state and accordingly are taking several measures in this direction," the official added.

It was April last year when Bengal had bagged the prize for the best consumer-friendly state from a national-level body that has been floated by the Central government.

It may be mentioned that filing and disposal of cases at the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has gone up nearly nine times in the

last ten years, which is a clear indicator of people's faith in the consumer

forum.