Cuttack: Mall fined Rs 25,000 for charging for carry bags

A shopping centre in Cuttack, Odisha, was ordered to compensate a consumer Rs 25,000 for charging them Rs 6 for a carry bag by an Odisha consumer court.

This order was handed down by the district consumer dispute redressal commission in Cuttack in response to a petition submitted by Padmalochan Rout.

The customer has been awarded Rs 10,000 in compensation for mental anguish and harassment, as well as Rs 15,000 in compensation for his legal costs, according to the court's order to the mall's management.

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According to the complaint, on December 28, 2020, Rout paid Rs 249 for a T-shirt from the mall. He was asked whether he needed a carry bag when paying at the cash register, and the staff gave him one for Rs. 6 (roughly).

Rout claimed that he was not informed of the additional fees for the carry bag, nor was the price of the carry bag mentioned anywhere inside the mall or on the bag, in contravention of the Consumer Protection Act.

"I had filed the complaint with the counselling centre attached to the State Commission. Counsellor, B.K. Sinha, immediately admitted my grievances and issued notice (to the opposite parties). However, none from the opposite parties replied to the notice," he stated.

(With inputs from IANS)