West Bengal government issues new directive for plastic bags carrying logo of the company

KOLKATA: The West Bengal consumers’ affairs department has decided to come down heavily on the brands or company charging money from the consumers for carry bags with the logo and the name of the company imprinted on it. The department is of opinion that a retail store can charge money from the customers for the bags either of plastic or any other material but they cannot advertise on it.
According to senior officials of the consumer affairs department there are several complaints that the retail out-stores are charging money for the carry bags with the logo of the company imprinted on it following which the department has decided to launch a massive crackdown on some leading brands that are charging money for carry bags with logo of the company on it.
“We have conducted an inquiry on the basis of complaints by consumers that some leading departmental stores, garment stores, shoe stores etc in the city are charging money from customers against carry bags with their own advertisement on it. This is not permitted as per Consumer Act and a company cannot charge from anybody for providing something that bears its own advertisement,” a senior official of the Consumer Affairs department said.
The department will soon hold a meeting with a number of these companies and will pass over strict instructions that the latter should abstain from selling bags with company logos. “If we find that they are not abiding by the rules then legal action will be initiated against the respective company,” the official added.
The thing surfaced when in April this year, a person had moved the Chandigarh Consumer Commission against a leading shoe manufacturer for charging Rs 3 for a paper bag to carry the shoe-box. The man contested that charging for a bag is justified but the company endorsing its own brand and charging against the same is not unacceptable. The court ruled in his favour and fined the shoe company Rs 9000 as compensation. According to market report the retail stores charge between Rs 3 to Rs 10 for the carry bags from the customers.
It may be mentioned that there is no standardized punishment for such act in the Consumer Law and the consumer courts across the country has given different verdicts time to time in such matters. The fines imposed have been different.
“The Centre has initiated the process of coming up with Central Consumer Protection Authority which will come up with some specific punitive measure under the ambit of Consumer Act. The process will take at least another six months,” a top official in the state Consumer forum pointed out.