HYDERABAD, Jan 8: The district government on Monday repeated its warning to the milk retailers that they would face challans and imprisonment if they charged people more than the official price of Rs28 per litre.

On the other hand the district nazim has, under section 144, banned transportation of milk to other cities from Hyderabad to avert a possible shortage of the commodity.

EDO Revenue Abdul Sattar Jatoo who heads a committee formed by district nazim to resolve the milk crisis disclosed at a press conference that Mukhtiarkars and deputy district officers (DDOs) would pay surprise visits to the milk shops and challan retailers if they were found charging more than the official rate.

Flanked by committee members Nasir Baloch, Q. Mohammad Hakim and Dr. Arif Razmi Mr. Jatoo said that the committee had among various others proposals to solve the crisis proposed that retailers should be allowed to sell milk for Rs30 a litre but the district nazim did not accept it and upheld the Rs28 a litre price prevalent before December 31, 2006.

He informed that the retailers and cattle pen owners were, under an agreement with the district, to revise prices each year in March but this year they broke the convention by raising prices by Rs4 a litre in January and without informing the district government.

The retailers, cattle pen owners and dairy owners had in their previous meeting with the committee agreed to selling milk for Rs28 per litre till the committee took a final decision on the issue but they reneged on their commitment and started selling milk in the price range of Rs30 to Rs34.

The committee had it verified by magistrates and in the process some retailers were also nabbed, who were later released on personal surety bond undertaking that they would sell milk at Rs28 till further orders, he said.

Mr. Jatoo said that confusion about the final price was created by some vested interests and it was wrongfully announced that the Rs30 a litre had been fixed as retail price.

He said that the cattle pen owners told the committee about the heavy expenses they were incurring due to rise in the prices of animal feed. And these issues remained to be assessed in detail by the committee, he said, adding that the district government would check prices as it did during Ramazan and would take action against violators under relevant act.

Q. Mohammad Hakim said that the committee had once again decided that the retailers would sell milk for Rs28 per litre. Efforts would be made to fix an affordable price after taking into consideration all the pros and cons, he said.

The committee members remained silent when asked why only retailers were being forced to revise prices despite the fact that the committee knew they were getting milk at higher rate from cattle pen owners or middlemen.

They could again come up with no answer to the question by what date the committee would be able to fix the final price of milk.