FAISALABAD, Sept 12: Consumer committees, comprising housewives, retailers, representative of NGOs and social workers, will be formed at the union council level before the commencement of Ramazan “to check profiteering and hoarding.”

The committees would be formed on a provincial government directive to the district governments to prepare contingency plan for the month, sources said on Tuesday.

They said the government was worried at the tendency to increase prices during Ramazan by creating artificial shortage of foodstuff. “This practice will not be tolerated,” they added.

The consumer committees would interact with the district price control committees.

They said the district governments would have to maintain the prices of edibles and establish sasta/Ramazan bazaars in various localities beside the institution of fair price shops. Complaint centers would also be set up in business centers.

DCOs should hold meetings with traders and retailers to check the prices of kitchen items, they continued.

They said special teams would also be constituted to conduct surprise raids to maintain the prices and powers of ‘Controller General of Prices’ in respect of 17 items of daily use had already been vested in the DCOs. A strict monitoring system would also be adopted.