Hyderabad: Commuters are being exploited when they buy food items from the stalls at the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station, as they are being charged more than the Maximum Retail Price (MRP). From biscuit packets to chips and other snacks and even water bottles, the food stalls charge at least one rupee over and above the MRP. Even at the stall jointly operated by Telangana State Road Transport Authority and prominent packaged drinking water company Bisleri, customers are charged Rs 21 for a one-litre bottle of water when the actual MRP is Rs 20.
When this correspondent questioned the addition, the stall holder replied that it was for freezer charges; non-chilled (normal) water would cost Rs 21. Another stall owner justified the extra charge on the grounds that it was to cover the high rent that the Road Transport Corporation charged. “We pay rent of at least Rs 20,000 per month for a small stall to Rs 2 lakh for a big stall. The RTC collects rent based on the location, like whether it’s on a crowded platform or the platforms where Volvo buses are parked,” he said.
“After bifurcation, the rush of passengers has come down and we are facing losses. Besides this, due to renovation work, RTC allowed fewer stalls for higher rents,” the stall holder said. M. Kavitha, who commutes to Vijayawada, said that she bought 300 ml of milk for her infant daughter for '60. “The tea stall owner asked me to take six cups of milk to fill a 300 ml bottle. We spent Rs 2 more on cream biscuits at another stall,” she said.
Rangareddy District Regional Manager of TSRTC E. Yadagiri said that the issue of high prices has not come to his notice. “If commuters complain to us, we’ll take action like imposing a penalty,” he said. Incidentally, there are no complaint boxes available at platforms at the MGBS.
