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Food minister takes note of overcharging by
contractors
HYDERABAD (April 03 2004): Provincial Minister
for Food and Agriculture Arif Mustafa Jatoi has
taken serious notice of excess recovery of charges
and setting up illegal roadside 'check-post' by
the contractors of Agriculture Market Committees
in various parts of the province.
He directed the administrators of all market
committees in the province to initiate immediate
legal action against those found guilty of excess
recovery of market fee, irrespective of their
socio-political status.
He said that vigilance committees are being
constituted to monitor the working of the market
committee contractors and they would recommend
action against those found violating the
provisions of market committees contracts.
Director-General, Agriculture Extension and
Research, Muhammad Akram Malik said that under the
terms and conditions of the contract for recovery
of market committee fee within the notified market
areas of market committees liveable under section
19 of APM Act 1939 on the purchase and sale of the
agricultural produce are described under the
schedule of section2(a) of AP 1939 at the rates
described vide Rule 29(11) 0f AP Market rule 1940
excluding sugar mills.
He said excess recovery or overcharges, on those
items which are not included in the schedule, are
clear-cut violation of the Act and conditions of
the contract.
He said similarly the establishment of check post
on main roads for the purpose of recovery is also
violation of the contract. However, the market fee
could be recovered from dealers at market as well
as business places in accordance with the law.
He said that no market fee should be recovered
from growers as growers are exempted from payment
of market fee as per law. He said a directive has
been communicated to administrators and
contractors of market committees all over the
province with the instruction that those found
violating the APM Act should be brought to book.
Regarding auction of market committee he said that
the contracts were awarded through open auction
and were later authenticated by the competent
authorities.
Shoukat Mastoi, Administrator, Market Committee,
Hyderabad, where the food grain and seed grain
merchants staged a protest demonstration on
Thursday, said that those who were on the
forefront of the protest demonstration were mostly
the defaulters of market committee fee.
He released a list of defaulters facing trials in
the Court of Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate.
He said the matter would be taken up with
Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry with
regard to defaulters of market fee.
Courtesy Business Recorder |
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Pakissan.com; Advisory Point
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