Vadodara:
An Ahmedabad-based bottled water company and a restaurant in the city had come under the lens when a resident of Nagarwada, Feroz Vohra, approached the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum after he found worms in a bottle of packaged water.
The forum ordered the bottling company to deposit Rs 10,000 in the consumer welfare fund, while the restaurant has been told to pay the complainant Rs 6,000 as compensation for harassment and legal costs.
In April 2016, Vohra and his family went for dinner to a restaurant called Kareem’s on Old Padra Road, where he was served a bottle of packaged water of the brand ‘Clear’. According to Vohra’s complaint, he found worms in the water and raised the issue with the restaurant manager. While the manager assured him he would take up the matter the Ahmedabad-based Gaggar Enterprises and Energy Beverages, which manufactures and markets the water, Vohra decided to leave the restaurant without having the meal. He offered to pay for the bottle, but the manager refused to take his money.
Vohra later wrote to the Food and Drugs Laboratory and the health department of Vadodara Municipal Corporation. When no action was taken by the authorities, he moved court. On being issued notices, the manufacturer informed the court that Vohra made up the complaint to extract money from them. It also told the court that they follow food safety rules and regulations and had even got the product inspected by the Bureau of Indian Standards.
However, the consumer forum rejected their arguments and upheld the documents produced by Vohra. The court observed that the manufacturer’s responsibility does not end by having licenses and getting the product inspected. “It is the manufacturer’s responsibility to maintain the quality of the water and when worms are visible in the water, it shows that it has failed in its responsibility,” the court said in its judgement.
The forum asked the manufacturer and the restaurant to deposit the money within two months.
PesPro 