The government has banned hotels and restaurants from adding extra charges such as LPG fees, gas surcharge or fuel recovery costs to customer bills.
Central Consumer Protection Authority has issued a strict warning to hotels and restaurants across India, saying that they cannot automatically add charges like “LPG charge”, “gas surcharge”, “fuel recovery cost” or similar fees to customer bills.
The authority clarified that customers should only pay the price shown on the menu along with applicable taxes. Any additional charge added separately for LPG, fuel or other operational costs will be treated as an unfair trade practice under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
According to the government, expenses such as LPG, electricity and fuel are part of the regular cost of running a hotel or restaurant. Businesses must include these expenses in the menu price itself instead of charging customers separately at the time of billing.