Multiplex fined for charging parking fee

Vijayawada: It is the duty of the multiplex management to provide parking facility to the cinemagoers free of cost and collection of parking fee is deficiency in service, said R Madhava Rao, president of Krishna District Consumers Forum-II here on Friday.

Delivering the judgment in the open forum in Telugu on a complaint filed by M V Syam Sundar, joint secretary of the Consumers Guidance Society over the deficiency in the service rendered by PVR Multiplex charging parking fee though it is barred by the AP High Court, the president of the forum along with B Srinivas, Members of the Forum, ruled out the arguments of the PVR Multiplex that the parking facility is run by the Ripples Mall, the owner of the building.

The forum pointed out that the AP High Court in its judgment made it clear that the multiplex is bound to provide free parking facility for the movie viewers. The forum ordered the PVR Multiplex to refund the Rs 40 and pay expenses of Rs 5,000 to the complainant. It also ordered the multiplex to pay penalty of Rs 5 lakh to the State Consumers Welfare Fund.

Forum president Madhava Rao also instructed the other multiplexes and malls though they are not respondents in the complaint, to provide free parking facility. He also suggested to the Vijayawada Municipal Commissioner and the district collector to take initiative to implement the free parking facility in respective malls.

In another landmark judgment, the forum president Madhava Rao ordered the management of Kolors Health Care India to repay the amount of Rs 78,652 along with nine per cent interest from the date of the amount collected and pay Rs 5,000 to the complainant for botched weight loss treatment. 

The forum also levied penalty of Rs 2 lakh to be paid to the Consumers Welfare Fund. M Satyavati Devi of Bapatla after viewing the advertisements of Kolors that she could lose weight through their treatment, paid the amount and joined for the treatment.  However, instead of losing weight she fell sick and acquired an ugly figure.

The forum president stated in the judgment that the advertisement to get people lose weight is prohibited under the provisions of Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 and the management of Kolors did not clarify the scientific reasons or their qualifications behind their treatment. Moreover, they do not have any permission from any statutory body to provide such treatment, it was pointed out.
The forum in a veiled warning to the celebrities, who participate in the advertisements of such firms, stated that they should not do them in future.