Shopping Mall-Owners Cannot Charge for Carry Bag

Manoj Kanta Dash,Odishabarta

Berhampur: Consumers can slap shopping malls and other retailers with a penalty of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 if shopkeepers ask for extra money for carry bags, said an expert.

Shopping malls in the city like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Berhampur and Sambalpur in Odisha  are still charging additional money from customers for carry bags, starting from Rs 5 to Rs 20 for each bag.

Since March 2018, it was made illegal for shopkeepers or shopping malls to charge extra money from consumers for plastic bags or paper bags or any kind of bags. Case can be filed before the Consumer Redressal Forum just by submitting an application. The Forum will issue a notice on the basis of that application.”Sources.

An Expert quoted, in such ground s consumer can file a case at the Consumer Court, which is situated in every district, the complainant has to submit an application along with the bill of his/her purchase. The consumer can even ask for compensation for the mental torture they have to bear from the shopkeepers and these complaints can be filed online as well.

The public keeps crying foul over shops charging for carry bags but retail stores continue to charge for carry bags from customers. Shopping malls in every city have failed to learn a lesson.

In Odisha the Consumer Protection wing and labour department should make round and ensure if the outlet makes it mandatory to purchase the carry bag,rather it was the store`s duty to provide a free bag to the customer who purchased their product.

Photo impression;Google