HYDERABAD, Aug 10: DCO Mohammad Hussain Syed has formed a price control committee directing revenue officials to ensure that essential items are being sold according to fixed prices.

The committee would be headed by EDO (revenue) Abdul Sattar Jatoo.

Speaking at a meeting of the district officials here on Wednesday, he said that the chairman of the price control committee would fix prices of perishable commodities daily in consultation with trade organisations concerned and elected representatives.

Besides revenue officers, representatives of the Kiryana Merchants’ Association, Vegetable Merchants’ Association, Fruit Merchants’ Association and other trade organisations attended the meeting.

The DCO said that prices of non-perishable commodities should be fixed on fortnightly basis.

He said that in order to maintain stability in prices of goods, the government had given powers of first class magistrate to DDOs and mukhtiarkars.

He said that assistant mukhtiarkars had been vested with powers of second class magistrate.

He said that it was necessary for revenue officers to pay surprise visits to markets and ensure that 38 items, including edible goods, medicines, cement, bricks and fertilizers, identified by the federal government, were being sold according to fixed prices.

He said that if any trader broke the law for the first time, he should be imposed fine but if he violated the law for the second time and charged more than the fixed price from the customer, he should be sent to jail.

He said that price control committees and revenue officers should also check the sale of substandard goods.

He said that shopkeepers should display the price list at a conspicuous place in the shop.

The DCO directed market committees to set up complaint centres and urged consumers to lodge their complaints at the centres.