Despite the Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan announcing that bottled water will be sold at the same maximum retail price (MRP) across all platforms, activists say that almost all the malls in Hyderabad has been practicing dual MRP.
Vijay had earlier filed a complaint against INOX multiplex for overcharging for water bottle.
Recently, the Hyderabad Consumer Forum has asked INOX multiplex to pay up Rs 5,000, along with another Rs 1,000 to an activist, and reportedly said that there cannot be two MRPs for the same water bottle.
Shortage of staff in state consumer forum The president of the Telangana State Consumer Organisation has said that the main reason these issues still persist is because of shortage of staff in the Telangana State Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum and Legal Metrology department.
He says that after the bifurcation, the state government has not yet appointed district consumer forum presidents and members in the state.
“Out of the 12 consumer forums, there are only two presidents (judge).
For the past two years the Civil Supplies department has been saying that they will fill up the vacancy, but nothing has been done," he added.
I filed the case on Inox almost a nine months back,” Vijay says.
According to the Telangana State Consumer Organisation, which fights for the rights of consumers, over 4700 cases are still pending for judgement, out of which 60% of the cases have been pending for more than four years.
However, several cases have been pending for years.

Shares in the Tianmei Beverage Group surged after the Chinese company announced expansion of its bottled water production.
A short time ago, the shares were up 68% to 13.5 cents but still below the listing price of 20 cents.
The company, which listed on the ASX in February after raising $10 million, says it has secured its own water source following completion of the acquisition of the Qianlifeng Water Plant.
“The acquisition not only serves to significantly mitigate water supply risks, but also sets the platform for further development and to meet increasing demand for Tianmei’s product line of bottled drinking water,” Tianmei Beverage said in a statement to the ASX.
The company plans to expand production, investing $3.9 million over the next 12 months.
The existing plant has capacity of 35.47 million litres a year of drinking water.
The expansion will increase this to 98.55 million litres.
The company says the water source at Qianlifeng has a unique composition, with low sodium and mineralisation but is rich in selenium and strontium and other trace elements.
Tianmei is capitalsing on growing demand for clean and green products in China with a range of water products including bottled water, water for infants, water dispensers, water purifiers and a beauty nano spray.
Tianmei Beverage had sales revenue of $66.4 million, up from $10.11 million the year before.

DNR to provide clean drinking water for contaminated wells.
LUXEMBURG, Wis. (WLUK) — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is planning to provide clean drinking water to people whose wells are contaminated by manure runoff.
So Wagner and his family drink bottled water.
“I only get one gallon of water per hour,” Wagner told us As a Kewaunee County Board member, Wagner is happy to hear about the DNR’s program to provide clean water to his constituents dealing with similar struggles.
Wagner told FOX 11 he can’t benefit from the DNR’s program because the water that comes out of his well is only contaminated with nitrates, not bacteria.
We still haven’t found any bacteria, which is a good thing,” he explained.
Wagner said this is a good step, but: “How come this didn’t come out sooner?”
In statement, the DNR said several programs worked together to take this step as quickly as possible.
The DNR will only provide clean water for six months.
That year-old program is for people with contaminated wells in the Kewaunee and southern Door County area.

 

Chuck Norris is in Utah promoting his latest product: bottled water.
KUTV) If one of your lifelong dreams has been to meet Chuck Norris, martial artist and star of "Walker, Texas Ranger," we’ve got good news: He’ll be in Utah today and tomorrow.
Norris is partnering Maverik to promote his latest entrepreneurial adventure: bottled water.
"There’s no other way to describe water that erupts from the ground with such clarity and smoothness," CForce boasts on its website.
"Bottled at the source, on Chuck Norris’ Lone Wolf Ranch, we add nothing and take nothing away.
It is Ice Age water, at its purest."
And now you have a chance to try that water, and shake hands with the man who founded Chun Kuk Do.
He’ll make three appearances today, and three tomorrow.
Photography will be permitted.
Here’s where you can find him: May 10 11:30 a.m. 304 S. Main Street Logan, Utah 84321 3:30 p.m. 899 W. Riverdale Road Riverdale, Utah 84405 7 p.m. 1265 W. Parrish Lane Centerville, Utah 84014 May 11 3:30 p.m. 1530 N. State Street Provo, Utah 84601 7 p.m. 432 West 9000 South Sandy, Utah 84070

Saudi Billionaire Family to IPO Bottled Water Business.
Saudi Arabia’s billionaire Olayan family, which runs one of the nation’s biggest conglomerates, is planning an initial public offering of its bottled water business in the kingdom, people familiar with the matter said.
Olayan Financing Co., which controls the family’s investments in the Middle East, is working with HSBC Holdings Plc’s local unit on the 30 percent sale of its Health Water Bottling Co., the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is private.
Olayan plans to list shares on the local Tadawul stock exchange and a sale could happen as early as next year, the people said.
Health Water distributes brands including Nova mineral water, Holsten non-alcoholic beer and Power Horse energy drink, according to its website.
HSBC Saudi Arabia Ltd. declined to comment, while Olayan Financing didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The planned bottling IPO comes as the Olayan family, one of the biggest investors in Credit Suisse Group AG, is also considering selling shares in a holding company of about 20 of its units, which could be worth as much as $5 billion, people said earlier this month.
The kingdom is trying to transform itself into a financial powerhouse by expanding the local stock market and selling shares of Saudi Arabian Oil Co. and the exchange itself.
Olayan previously considered selling shares in Health Water in 2012 and appointed Morgan Stanley as financial adviser, according to a Reuters report at the time.

Do the planet a favor: Ditch the bottle.
With Earth Day having recently passed April 22, I thought I’d take some time to celebrate it by grousing to the world about why bottled water gets on my last nerve.
All those bottles — and I cringe to think how many are discarded without being recycled.
Yes, quality of drinking water is important.
The thing I find most fascinating is that somebody out there found a way to sell people ordinary water.
Two or three decades ago you probably would have laughed at the idea of buying bottled water, but now everybody is doing it (and some others are making a lot of money).
The other thing that irritates me is the prevalence of people drinking water all the time, in every situation.
Even in an exercise class I find it weird that someone can’t go an hour without hitting the bottle.
As an aside, if you’re going to consume alcohol — responsibly — when you go out, drink beer on tap rather than anything from a bottle or can, as this poses the same kinds of recycling issues as bottled water.
Arm yourself with a filter and a reusable bottle for those just-in-case situations.

Snapshot of Opportunities and Trends in the Bottled Water Market in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2017 – Research and Markets.
DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Snapshot of Opportunities and Trends in the Bottled Water Market in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" report to their offering.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has the largest population in the region and is the largest consumer of water among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
This provides a snapshot of the opportunities and trends in the bottled water market in the KSA.
Due to health awareness in the region, the share of carbonated drinks has significantly dropped paving way for health drinks and bottled water.
Key Topics Covered: 1.
Overview of the bottled water market in the GCC 2.
The KSA’s bottled water market 3.
Drivers and Challenges 4.
Major Players and New Entrants 6.

Bottled water producer Sariguna Primatirta listed on IDX.
Bottled water producer PT Sariguna Primatirta (CLEO) listed its shares on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) trading board starting Friday.
The company listed 2.2 billion shares, consisting of a founding stake of 1.75 billion shares and a public offering of 450 million shares.
The nominal value of shares is Rp 100 (0.75 US cent) a piece.
The share price opened Rp 165.43 higher than its offering price of Rp 115.
The company said that during the public offering period, the stocks were oversubscribed up to 2.95 times.
The company earned Rp 51.75 billion from the share sales that would be used to expand its business, president director of Sariguna Primatirta, Belinda Natalia said on Friday.
“We will allocated 95 percent of the proceeds for business expansion and to buy machinery and the remaining funds will be for working capital,” she told reporters after the listing ceremony at the IDX main hall, Jakarta.
On its first day listing on IDX, CLEO was recorded closing at Rp 195 a share or equal to a 70 percent increase from its offering price.
(bbn) The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post.

In some cases, publicly-sourced tap may actually be safer since it is usually tested more frequently.
Read on to find out all the things you didn’t know about your drinking water.
Last year was the first time Americans drank more bottled water than soda.
In fact, a recent report found that almost half of all bottled water is actually derived from the tap.
Tap water is also typically tested for quality and contamination more frequently than bottled water.
A recent study from the International Bottled Water Association found that North American companies companies use 1.39 liters of water to make one liter of the bottled stuff.
For every six water bottles Americans use, only one makes it to the recycle bin, according to National Geographic.
REUTERS/Jamal Saidi Source: National Geographic So think twice the next time you consider buying a case of bottled water.
If you can’t find it, contact your local representative.
Read next: Find out how clean your water is>>

Bottled water brand Voss adds sparkling lime and mint flavour.
The all-natural flavour is the result of ‘extensive research’ and, as well as providing standalone refreshment during the spring and summer, would make an ideal accompaniment to tequila and other spirits or cocktails.
“Sparkling water is currently one of the fastest growing categories in beverages, with flavoured sparkling growing even more quickly, as consumers look for healthier alternatives to sweetened, caloric drinks,” said Ken Gilbert, chief marketing officer for Voss Water.
“The new Voss lime and mint flavour scored extremely well with flavoured sparkling water drinkers and satisfies our consumers’ quest for healthier options.” A US-wide survey found that almost 60% of Americans focus more on healthy lifestyle choices, including healthier beverages, during warmer months.
In addition, 61% said that they try to drink more water during summer in an effort to lose weight and get healthier.
The new lime and mint product is unsweetened with no calories, made with Voss artesian water from Norway and available in the brand’s distinctive and iconic glass bottles.