Trichy: Think of purchasing packaged food or bottled water from bus stands in the city and you are sure to shell out some extra bucks. An average of Rs 5 is charged in excess of the printed MRP by retailers, revealed a random check in many of the 50 odd retails shops selling snacks at the central bus stand. Water bottle too is sold for Rs 25 against the maximum retail price of Rs 20.While it is mandatory for retailers to sell packaged commodities at prices not exceeding the MRP, many shops in the city have been throwing norms to the wind and fleecing customers. A biscuit packet is sold for Rs 25 against the printed MRP of Rs 20. Same is the case with cakes and other savouries. Apparently, there is hardly any official agency in control of the prices these shops charge for their wares.When quizzed about the extra charges, some of the shopkeepers passed the buck to their owners saying they have been instructed to do so. Several other shops had no answer. "If you can't pay extra, just leave," said a shopkeeper. "Most shop owners are aware of penalties for fleecing customers but who will penalise is the golden question to be answered," said D Karthikeyan, a regular at the central bus stand.A majority of the shop owners are either local politicians or have political links which protect them from action. Besides, customers too didn't seem to be much bothered about spending those extra bucks, he says. "Everybody knows this has been going on for a long time but it is hardly discussed," says member, federation of consumer and service organization (FCSO) Kamakodi Sundar. He points out that this has been happening because the shops mainly target the floating population which doesn't mind spending extra money while on the move unlike the local residents.Explaining his own experience at the Karur bus stand where he had to spend more than the MRP, Sunbar said that on an average Rs 5 is charged in excess to that of the MRP for any of the packaged food products."A bottle of water is available for Rs 25 against the MRP of Rs 18 at the retail shop at Mukkombu dam, a tourist spot in Trichy which has been receiving tourists ahead of summer," said a resident of KK Nagar S Deepak . There has to be strict monitoring on such fleecing, he said.Inspector of labour S Sudha warned of strict action against retailers fleecing customers. She said that officials from the labour department would inspect the shops and impose fine if any shop was found guilty.

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