BANGALORE: While the authorities of Bannerghatta Biological Park take tourists inside the park to show wild animals, the tourists are taken for a merry ‘ride’ by vendors just outside the park. The word “Maximum Retail Price’ (MRP) has no meaning for these vendors. One litre of bottled water is sold at Rs 25 (MRP is Rs 17) which is almost Rs 8 more than the MRP . The vendors charge exorbitant rates on all eatables without bothering the MRP printed on the cover.
Most of the tourists pay through their nose and buy bottled water to quench their thirst and to fill their empty tummies. The vendors curtly say: “If you want it buy, otherwise get move on.”
The vendors are so organised that they have fixed the price for each and every commodity arbitrarily and the tourists are forced to buy for whatever price quoted by them. On any government holiday, thousands of tourists flock the BBP and they are taken for a sweet ride by these vendors. The authorities concerned have not bothered to keep these vendors under check.