Hyderabad, July 18: Cracking the whip on multiplexes and cinema hall owners, the Telangana government has barred them from selling packaged water, food items, including all forms of eateries, beyond the maximum retail price or MRP.

The theatre owners and the affiliated canteen associations have also been asked to charge a reasonable rate for non-packaged food items like popcorn, which are currently being sold as high as thrice the rate charged outside.

The Controller Legal Metrology Department held a meeting with the cinema hall owners' association and the union of affiliated canteens asking them to take immediate measures for benefiting the common populace who are unable to afford the exorbitant rates charged by them on consumable products.

Since cinema halls and multiplexes bar viewers from bringing food from outside, they are forced either to remain hungry or buy the eateries and packaged water sold at unreasonably high prices.

The Metrology Department has also made it mandatory to print the prices on food items sold in theatres from September 1. The rule will also apply for non-packaged food items like popcorn and samosa.

Apart from the printed prices, the Metrology Department has ordered clear display of food quantity in measurable units. Instead of using categories like "small, medium and jumbo", the canteens will have to inform the grams of food item, say popcorn, they will serve for the said price.

In case of violations, people are requested to alert the authorities by dialling 180042500333 (toll-free), or registering their grievance via WhatsApp on 7330774444.

The measure enacted by the Telangana government comes days after Maharashtra's Food Minister Ravindra Chavan ordered all multiplexes in the state to allow people to carry food from outside.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 18, 2018 07:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).