A cook prepares food amid shortage of commercial LPG cylinders at the Fort in Mumbai. File | Photo credit: PTI
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) in a notice issued on Tuesday (March 24, 2026) asked restaurants and hotels not to charge any unfair additional charges such as “gas surcharge”, “reimbursement of fuel costs” or “final price due to gas crisis” on top of food.
Also Read: Fuel Crisis Update 25 March 2026
The watchdog called such charges a breach of existing guidelines and an “unfair business practice” because they entail “unjustified costs and a lack of transparency”.
“The current practice of levying ‘LPG charges’ or similar charges is an attempt to circumvent the above guidelines by adopting a different nomenclature,” it said, adding, “The CCPA has clarified that input costs such as fuel, LPG, electricity and other operating costs are part of the cost of running a business and must be taken into account when pricing bid items.”
The CCPA ruled that any imposition of “unfair or unjustified charges” would be “reasonably addressed and necessary action taken.”
The watchdog asked consumers to, among other things, request that any such charge be removed from the billed amount and/or lodge a complaint with the National Consumer Helpline (NCH).
Published – 25 March 2026 20:05 IST
