Popcorn, colas to get cheaper in Chandigarh cinemas; seniors, ill to be allowed to carry own food

Soon you will not have to dish out a fortune for the popcorn and colas sold at multiplexes. Senior citizens, children and those with chronic illness will also be allowed to carry their own food and drinks into movie theatres.

The Chandigarh administration has given 30 days to the city’s multiplexes to comply with its directions to rationalise food and drink rates and allow senior citizens and children aged below five to get their own food.

The move comes after the Bombay High Court (HC) held on April 4 that moviegoers could not be unilaterally prohibited from bringing their own food and water bottles inside theatres and multiplexes when vendors were serving food inside at exorbitant prices.

Deputy commissioner (DC) Ajit Balaji Joshi chaired a meeting of the District Consumer Protection Council with representatives of the city’s multiplexes and sought their compliance within 30 days.

After the Bombay HC order, Hindustan Times had highlighted the issue of city multiplexes overcharging customers for food and drinks. The DC had called the meeting after the reports were published.

Joshi, it has been learnt, has also told the multiplex owners to allow select customers to get their own food and also display rate lists prominently at food stalls.

There are seven malls in the city with a footfall of around 8,000 a day and around 12,000 a day on weekends. Some of the multiplexes in the city are located in Elante Mall and Centra Mall, both in the Chandigarh Industrial Area; Fun Republic Mall in Manimajra, TDI Mall in Sector 17, Chandigarh and DLF City Centre Mall in IT Park, and Piccadily Square Mall in Sector 34.

All of the multiplex chains charge high rates for food and water.

Additional deputy commissioner Sachin Rana confirmed that the directions had been issued.

RK Kaplash, member, District Consumer Protection Council Chandigarh, who attended the meeting, wondered how the multiplexes “could sell food items above MRP. They cannot compel cinegoers to buy things from them. We have given them one month’s time, following which action will be initiated,” he said.

A senior employee of PVR Cinemas at Elante Mall said, “we do not earn anything from movie tickets as the annual rent of the mall is around Rs 1crore and we have to pay salaries to employees and pay other bills also. Whatever we earn is from the food items.” Chandramohan Sharma, area manager, PVR Cinemas, refused to comment on the issue.

What was said in Bombay HC

“Either there should be total prohibition – no one should be allowed to carry or serve food inside theatres or multiplexes or the viewers should also be allowed to carry their own food and water bottles”

“They cannot compel viewers to buy food articles at exorbitant prices”