The Legal Metrology Department conducted simultaneous inspections at cinema theatres located in malls across Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. This action was prompted by complaints regarding overcharging for food items sold within the theatres. Officials are investigating the allegations to ensure compliance with pricing regulations.
Officials of the Civil Supplies and Food Safety departments were part of the inspection teams at theatres in Kochi. “We are checking whether the price list for food items is displayed, the quantity of food being provided and whether consumers are being overcharged. The intention is to find out whether consumers are being exploited.
He said the state government had in 2019 fixed the price of a one-litre water bottle at ₹ 13, but the decision was challenged in the Keralam High Court, which stayed its implementation.
The inspections were carried out following frequent complaints that food items were being sold at prices higher than those displayed or that consumers were being overcharged, officials said. The checks are being conducted at multiple locations,” a department official told reporters. Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Mayor V V Rajesh said he had been receiving frequent complaints about theatres charging excessive prices for tickets and food items. “He himself asked me, ‘What kind of a situation is this where after buying a ticket for ₹ 250, one has to buy popcorn for ₹ 500?'” Rajesh said. The mayor acknowledged that the Corporation had limited powers to intervene directly in the pricing of cinema tickets and food items, but said local authorities could intervene in other aspects.
