Mall, cinema fined over illegal fees

T'PURAM: The district consumer disputes redressal commission has declared collection of parking fees in a city mall and the charges levied on 3-D spectacles in a theatre within the mall as illegal and slapped fines on both the mall and the cinema.
The commission directed Artech Mall, Pattoor, to pay Rs 5,000 as compensation and Rs 2,500 as cost to the complainant, who was charged Rs 20 as parking fee on April 12, 2022, when he visited the mall.Carnival Cinemas was directed to pay Rs 35,000 as compensation for mental agony and punitive damages caused to the petitioner by charging Rs 30 additionally for 3-D glasses, and Rs 2,500 towards the cost of proceedings.
At Carnival Cinemas in Artech Mall, the complainant Ravikrishnan N R had to pay Rs 180 to buy a ticket to watch the film RRR. When he examined the ticket, it showed Rs 150 as ticket charge and the remaining amount as the charge for 3-D spectacles provided by the theatre.
The complainant, an advocate himself, approached the consumer commission with the complaint that the collection of parking fees and additional charge for 3-D glasses were both illegal and he should be compensated.
"As per building rules, the first opposite party is bound to provide parking space for their customers. They have to obtain licence from the municipality, that too only when a circumstance arose such that the allotted free parking area has become inadequate for parking vehicles," said the commission.
"Though notice was issued to the opposite parties, the second opposite party did not appear before the commission and hence the second opposite party was set ex parte. The first opposite party had filed vakalath. But they have not filed a version," the district commission noted.