HYDERABAD, April 3: The Sindh food and agriculture minister has ordered administrators of market committees to take legal action against contractors who are charging higher fees.

According to sources in the agriculture department, Food and Agriculture Minister Arif Mustafa Jatoi took a serious notice of charging higher market committee fees and setting up of illegal roadside checkposts by contractors in various parts of the province.

Sources told this correspondent that vigilance committees were being constituted to monitor working of the contractors and recommend action against those who violated the Market Committees Act and provisions of their contracts.

A senior officer of the agriculture extension and research wing said under the Agriculture Produce Market Act, 1939, the fees were to be levied on purchase and sale of agricultural produce.

He said overcharging on these items was violation of the Act and conditions of the contract. Establishment of checkposts for recovery on main roads was also violation of the contract, he added.

He further said market committee fees could be recovered from dealers in notified limits and business centres in accordance with the law.

The officer said no market fee could be recovered from growers under the law.

Protest demonstrations had been held in different towns by traders against overcharging of market committee fees and setting up of roadside checkposts by contractors for collecting the fees.

INQUIRY DEMANDED: Federal Information and Media Development Secretary Anwar Mehmood should take a notice of deteriorating professional standards of the Hyderabad Radio Station and order an inquiry into the prevailing state of affairs.

This was demanded by the Radio Artist Association in a representation signed by over 30 drama artists, writers and announcers to the secretary.

The representation accused the management of destroying the radio station. It also complained of discrimination and said favouritism had become the order of the day at the radio station.

It said the situation could be gauged from the fact that six members of a family were working at the radio station in one or the other capacity.

The signatories to the representation said producers were transferred after three or four years in the past but now some producers had not been transferred for the last 15 years.

They alleged that these producers had formed their own groups and were destroying the quality of programmes.

They appealed to the information secretary to intervene in the matter and order an inquiry into the situation to restore the old glory of the radio station.

Copies of the representation were also sent to the director general, Radio Pakistan, and the director, programmes.