Regulate Theatre Parking Charges - By CCC

Coimbatore Consumer Cause (CCC) has appealed to the Home Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu to stop the fleecing of movie goers at cinema theatre parking slots where exorbitant charges were being collected for parking of vehicles with scant regard to Government stipulated parking charges.

In a memorandum, the Secretary of CCC, K. Kathirmathiyon said that following representations about cinema theatres collecting exorbitant parking fees the Government issued an order Ms. No.1810 dated December 21, 1993 empowering the licensing authorities i.e., district collectors to fix the rates to be collected by the cinema theatres for parking of vehicles. But the order was never implemented as ‘necessary amendments were not made in the Tamil Nadu Cinema (Regulation) Rules 1957’, despite regular reminders from CCC.

Without implementing its own earlier order, the Government subsequently issued another order MS. No 678 dated May 18, 1999 after amending the Tamil Nadu cinema (Regulation) Rules and should have been brought into effect from May 20, 1999 that permitted the cinema theatres to collect parking fee as follows; Rs 3, Rs 2 and Re 1 for cars, two-wheelers and cycles in Corporations, District Headquarters and Grade I Municipalities and it was fixed at Rs 2.50, Rs 2 and Re 1 for cars, two-wheelers and cycles respectively. In respect of Village Panchayats it was fixed at Rs 2, Re 1 and 0.50 paise for cars, two-wheelers and cycles.

But the Theatre Owners contended that Government had no powers to fix the parking fees and challenged the same before the High Court. While disposing the writ petitions on September 30, 1999, the High Court held that the Government was empowered to regulate the collection of the fees for parking the vehicles in the premises of Cinema Theatres.

But the rates were to be fixed taking into consideration the expenses incurred for providing amenities by the cinema theatres. CCC had been repeatedly requesting the Government either to prefer an appeal against the order or to implement the Government order as per the High Court direction. But the Government responded by saying that it had filed an appeal in 2002 against the High Court dated September 30, 1999.

Whenever a new movie was released, most of the Cinema Theatres collected parking fees according to their whims and fancies. For example, two wheelers’ owners were being charged Rs.10 parking fees, which is equivalent to the minimum admission rates for non-AC theatres in Corporation area. Even in bus stands & railway stations, the parking fees for two wheelers is Rs.3 for 24 hours, whereas, most of the theatres in the city collected Rs.10 for two wheelers.

Left with no other option, consumers had to pay whatever was demanded by the theatres.Even though the Government had provided a lot latitude to the film Industry and theatres, including withdrawal of the entertainment taxes completely, most of the theatres continued to collect exorbitant parking fees. The Government should bring it to the notice of the High Court about this fleecing and take expeditious steps for early disposal of the writ appeals. It was most unfortunate that a G O issued in the interest of the consumers was not implemented even after nearly 15 years.

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