Hyderabad bar booked for collecting more than MRP

Hyderabad: Two cases have been filed against Air Live restaurant in Hyderabad for collecting more than MRP and for short delivery of liquor. On September 15, the complainant was charged Rs 1,500 for six Red Bulls by the restaurant. He was charged Rs 250 for a Red Bull worth Rs 99 in MRP. Based on the complaint, District Legal Metrology raided Air Live on September 29 and booked two cases against the establishment.

As per 18 (2) of Legal Metrology Packaged Commodities Rules 2011, “No retail dealer or another person including manufacturer, packer, importer and wholesale dealer shall make any sale of any commodity in the packed form at a price exceeding the retail sale price.”

Srikhande Umesh Kumar, the complainant and an RTI activist, said, “Air Live Bar in Jubilee Hills collects more than MRP, imposes GST over MRP, and forcefully collects service charge from customers. They charged more than twice the MRP for a Red Bull, and collected Rs 75 as GST, apart from a service charge on the total bill. As per the notification issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs in 2016, the service charge has been made optional. Hence, a consumer can refuse to pay it.”

However, the charges are not limited to just that. According to him Umesh, Air Live has also been booked for short delivery of liquor. “Consumers are being looted by this establishment. Concerned officials should take stringent action against them. Imposing a hefty penalty on them would prevent future violations. In addition, consumers should be aware of their rights. They should not pay more than MRP on pre-packaged commodities.”