GUWAHATI: Consumers can slap shopping malls and other retailers with a penalty of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 if shopkeepers ask for extra money for carry bags, said an expert.
Big shopping malls in the city are still charging additional money from customers for carry bags, starting from Rs 5 to Rs 20 for each bag.
Manjit Kumar Das, advocate, Guwahati High Court and Consumer Court, was quoted by News18 as saying, “Since March 2018, it was made illegal for shopkeepers or shopping malls to charge extra money from consumers for plastic bags or paper bags or any kind of bags. Case can be filed before the Consumer Redressal Forum just by submitting an application. The Forum will issue a notice on the basis of that application.”
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In order to file a case at the Consumer Court, which is situated in every district, the complainant has to submit an application along with the bill of his/her purchase.
The consumer can even ask for compensation for the metal torture they have to bear from the shopkeepers and these complaints can be filed online as well.
A resident of Guwahati recently became the victim of such an incident where he was charged for a carry bag at a ‘Khadim's’ showroom in Guwahati. The person argued with the staff of the showroom about the wrongfully charged money, but was unable to successfully present his case in this regard.
The person then visited the Consumer Court in Chandmari area of the city along with the bill to file a complaint against the showroom.
