(1) At any time when so required by any officer empowered by the Marketing Board in this behalf in the market area concerned, the driver or any other person incharge of the vehicle, vessel or other conveyance shall stop the vehicle, vessel or other conveyance, as the case may be and keep it stationery, as long as may reasonably be necessary and allow such officer to examine the contents of the vehicle, vessel or other conveyance and inspect the records relating to notified agricultural produce carried by him and disclose his name and address and the name and address of the owner of the vehicle, vessel or other conveyance and the name and address of the owner of the notified agricultural produce carried by such vehicle, vessel or other conveyance.
(2) The officer empowered under sub-section (1) shall have power to seize any notified agricultural produce brought into or taken out of or proposed to be taken out of the market area by any vehicle, vessel or other conveyance, if such officer has reason to believe that any market fee or other amount due and payable under this Act or value payable to the seller in respect of such produce has not been paid.
(3) If any officer empowered under sub-section (1) has reason to suspect that any person -16- is attempting to evade the payment of any market fee due and payable by him under section 34 or that any person has purchased or stored any notified agricultural produce in contravention of any of the provisions of this Act or the rules or the bye-laws framed thereunder in the market area, he may enter or search any place of business, warehouse, office, establishment or godown where, he has reason to believe that such person keeps or has for the time being kept stock of notified agricultural produce and he may first seize such agricultural produce and such seized agricultural produce may be confiscated in favour of the Marketing Board in the manner as prescribed for this purpose:
Provided that a reasonable opportunity of being heard shall be given to the person concerned before confiscation of the agricultural produce.
(3) The provisions of sections 100, 457, 458 and 459 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974) shall apply to entry, search and seizure under sub-sections (1), (2) and (3), as they apply in relation to the entry, search and seizure of property by the Police Officer and such seizure shall forthwith be reported by the officer aforesaid to a Magistrate having jurisdiction over the area.