HYDERABAD, Sept 27: DCO Aftab Ahmed Khatri on Thursday warned the shopkeepers not to overcharge consumers or they would be convicted with fine or imprisonment or both to maintain keep prices in check and protect consumer rights.

He said while presiding over a meeting attended by wholesale traders, retailers and revenue officers with powers of special judicial magistrates at Shahbaz Building on Thursday.

He said that although the government had brought the prices under control to a large extent after action taken by the special magistrates He said that the district government had decided to continue Bachat Bazaars in the district even after Ramazan with a slight change in name.

He said that the district government with a market experience of two weeks, had decided to take severe action against price hike by imposing heavy fines or imprisonment or both simultaneously to make the kitchen items affordable for every one.

About flour prices, the DCO said that flour was being sold in Hyderabad at lowest rates as compared to other districts of the province. At present chakki flour was available at Rs14 per kg and mill flour was being sold at the retail price of Rs13 per kg.

Latifabad Taluka Nazim Sabir Hussain rejected the milk sellers’ demand for raising price of milk. The milk’s price was fixed once a year and after that no one would be allowed to raise prices, he warned.

He directed the milk sellers to continue to sell at Rs30 per kg as retail and Rs28 per kg as wholesale price and also asked the participants of the meeting to identify slaughterhouses where the meat traders made use of the criminal practice of keeping meat under water to increase its weight. He agreed with the DCO’s proposal for continuing Bachat Bazaars after Ramazan and offered full support to the traders and shopkeepers willing to participate in the bazaars.