Duties and Power of Committee.

(1) It shall be the duty of a Committee (a) to enforce the provisions of this Act and the rules and byelaws made thereunder in the notified market area and, when so required by the Board, to establish a market therein providing such facilities for persons visiting in connection with the purchase, sale storage, weighment and processing of agricultural produce concerned as the Board may from time to time direct ; (b) to control and regulate the admission to the market, to determine the conditions for the use of the market and to penalize or confiscate the agricultural produce belonging to person trading without a valid licence ; (c) to bring, or defend or aid in bringing, or defending any suit, action, proceeding, application or arbitration, on behalf of the Committee or otherwise when directed by the Board. (2) Every person licensed under section 10 or section 13 and every person exempted under section 8 from taking out license, shall on demand by the Committee or any person authorised by it in this behalf furnish such information and returns, as may be necessary for proper enforcement of Act or the rules and bye-laws made thereunder. (3) Subject to such rules as the State Government may make in this behalf, it shall be the duty of a Committee to issue licences to brokers, weighmen, measurers, surveyors, godown keepers and other functionaries for carrying on their occupation in the notified market area in respect of agricultural produce and to renew, suspend or cancel such licences. (4) No broker, weighman, measurer, surveyor, godown-keeper or other functionary shall, unless duly authorised by licence, carry on his occupation in a notified market area in respect of agricultural produce: Provided that nothing in sub-sections (3 and (4) shall apply to a person carrying on the business of warehouseman who is licensed under the Punjab Warehouses Act, 1957 (Punjab Act No. 2 of 1958).