February 10, 2003	Monday	Zul Hijjah 8,1423

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RAWALPINDI, Feb 9: The district government has decided to reconstitute price control committees after these bodies failed to effectively control price-hike, officials said here on Sunday.

Talking to this reporter, the official spokesman said the district government was committed to taking serious action against traders indulging in profiteering.

He said: “We have asked them to strictly follow the price- list circulated by the market committee.”

The traders have been asked to display the rate-list of their products prominently. Recently, there have been frequent complaints against traders, particularly butchers, regarding over-charging.

District Nazim Raja Tariq Kiani had got several profiteers arrested on different occasions during his visits to the markets.

Reiterating the district administration’s resolve to provide relief to the common man, the spokesman reminded the consumers of their responsibility, saying they should not encourage the profiteers.

“The consumers should boycott the profiteers and they would themselves bring down the prices,” he said.

He said the district health department had been asked to conduct a quality check of edibles being sold in the market, particularly, the spices and tea by getting them tested from the food-testing laboratory.

He said the health department had been told to show no lenience towards the adulterators, who were playing havoc with the health of the consumers. The health department would be levying heavy fines on those found guilty of adulteration.

The spokesman said the labour department had been instructed to check the weighing machines and weights of the traders. The labour department, he said, would be particularly focussing on wholesale markets like Bazaar Dalgran and Nimak Mandi.

Packed products like ghee would also be checked, and action taken against manufacturers of products found weighing less than the weight declared on the packing.

Meanwhile, Nazim Raja Tariq Kiani has asked businessmen to cooperate with the district government for protecting the interests of the consumers and bringing a positive change in the city.