Outrageously pricey snacks!

One of the widely discussed topics on social media sites these days evolved out of a Facebook post by Malayalam actress Anusree. It showed the money charged at the cafeteria in Thiruvananthapuram airport, for ordering two chicken puffs, a black tea and coffee at Rs 680. Is it an odd practice restricted to the airport? No, even a common man who has not visited the airport is also not immune to these practices. He is also forced to pay a hefty sum for purchasing food items at shopping malls, restaurants and movie halls in cities.

Before looking at the above mentioned places, let’s check what actually happened at the airport. When contacted, a senior official at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, who prefers anonymity says, “We have not received any written complaint from the actress, who posted it on her social media page. Still we will check whether the cafeteria charged more than the price ceiling agreed upon. At the same time, it is a fact that the price for the commodities inside airport is higher than outside. It is not just in Thiruvananthapuram Airport. If you check with the rates of other airports, the situation is the same.”

Quizzed about the reason behind the higher rates, he clarifies, “The rent for commercial space inside the compound is comparatively high.When it comes to the eateries, we prefer to give space for restaurants which follow four-star and five-star norms in order to ensure that the customers get quality food.” In the meantime, people who go to watch films also face the same issue. When a person buys a popcorn packet and one small bottle of coke for just Rs 60 from a shop or a bakery, he is forced to pay Rs 200 to Rs 250 for the same at a movie hall or multiplex. Senior film producer and office-bearer of Kerala Film Producer’s Association G. Suresh Kumar points out that this practice forces the common man to stay away from the cinema halls.

“In a normal theatre, a film goer has to pay an average amount of Rs 100 to get a movie ticket. And when he visits the cafeteria in the same compound, he has to pay around Rs 5 to Rs 10 extra than the MRP. That itself is illegal. But there, he (audience) is free to come up with packed food or at least a water bottle from outside so that he need not buy food from such counters. In the meantime, multiplexes are collecting Rs 100 to Rs 500 per ticket. That itself forces film-goers to think twice before buying a ticket. Then the multiplexes sell food items for exorbitant rates and do not allow even a water bottle from outside. The viewer is thus forced to buy food at a higher price as he has no other choice. If it goes like this, cinema becomes a medium just for rich people,” he says. Referring to the rate of tickets, he says, “Already, the government has no control on fixing the rates of tickets; now in the case of food too. They are collecting such amounts quoting different tax structure. But food is the basic need of humans; so these rates should be controlled by the authorities.”

When contacted R. Ram Mohan, Deputy Controller Legal Metrology Department, Central zone, says, “We are conducting raids in our jurisdiction to find out the stores which sell products at exorbitant rates compared to the MRP. We have gone to some multiplexes and could find that they were selling food products violating laws. As per rules, they are not allowed to sell solid food products like popcorn in packs under categories — small, medium and large. Instead, they should mark the weight in terms of standard units. Even soft drinks are also sold like this. We have initiated action against such counters.” Quizzed about selling the same food products under different rates, he says, “The manufacturer is free to fix the rate for his product. But the seller is not allowed to sell it for more than what is marked as the MRP. If anyone does so, we can take action against them.”