The controversy over quality of cotton and payments rose in 2004 when TCP and ginners differed over cotton grading. After a series of meetings, they reached an understanding that TCP would pay the differential to the ginners whose stocks were sold at higher rates. As per understanding, the aggrieved ginners filed claims with TCP for millions of rupees.
TCP officials accepted the claims and promised the ginners payments as early as possible. They asked the aggrieved ginners to deposit fee for processing the claims. The ginners fulfilled the condition.
TCP accepted the claims and promised to the ginners some time two years back to pay them differential on priority basis, but it was not dome. A PCGA letter addressed to TCP chairman, Asif Ansari, narrates the ginners' ordeal.
The letter showed that PCGA was pleading TCP chairman for a meeting for a long time to convey to him the gravity of the situation. But he was not available for the meeting maybe due to some other official engagement. However, he assigned the job to Director Abdul Malik, who promised the PCGA delegation during a meeting held in his office on October 6 to resolve the controversy. The letter indicated that PCGA chairman was constantly calling Abdul Malik on phone from Multan to get feedback on the meeting. But each time he was getting the reply from his staff that "Sahib is busy".
PCGA chairman is unable to understand why TCP officials are playing tricks instead of revolving the issue for which they committed for more than once. He wants that TCP chairman should take the issue seriously and resolve the controversy without any further delay.
PCGA chairman was of the view that delay in payment of claims was a cause of mental torture and financial loss that was beyond any compensation.
Commenting on the issue, TCP chairman Asif Ansari said "Ginners were duly paid by TCP for their crop in due course of time for their 2004-05 crop and now their claims for differential make no sense."
However, in the very next breath he accepted that TCP had accepted ginners' claims and in the follow-up charged fee for claims that made their case for compensation.