Cotton control order cleared

The order would also encompass some of the features of the Ginning and Pressing Factories Act, 1925 abolished last year, they said. The draft was passed smoothly by CAB despite some cotton associations, ginners and growers objecting to some of the provisions in it.

The proposed order would require ginning and pressing factories to submit quarterly returns of the quantity of cotton pressed and ginned by them.

Ginning and pressing factories had objected to the provisions fearingharassment by officials based on past experience but they agreed to accept the provisions after textile commissioner B C Khatua assured them that such things would not occur.

Khatua also told CAB members that the order, once it came into force, would not be implemented immediately so that a process of educations could be in force for a period of one year. However, after a year it would be enforced vigorously, he said.

East India Cotton Association, during the meeting, raised the issue of having cotton under the Essential Commodities Act but the demand was shot down on the ground that it was essential to enforce discipline and ensure handloom weavers were not starved of hank yarn.

As per the draft, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) would be asked to come with weights and dimension of cotton bales (of 170 kg). Usage of jute twine in packing pressed cotton would be banned in order to prevent contamination of the commodity. Jute twines are one of the main sources of contamination in cotton, the officialssaid.

The proposed order would also have power to restrict stocks but Khatua assured the members that it would be enforced during emergency only.

Ginning and pressing factories, while objecting to the proposed order, had suggested that a separate act could be had instead of placing cotton under Essential Commodities Act.

They were likely to look for provisions to bring some discipline in the industry while searching for an alternative to the Essential Commodities Act, the officials said. In particular, they had asked for penalty instead of textile commissioner’s office authorities filing FIR with police for their failure to file returns.

An understanding was reached that this could be considered for units having a good track record. However, regular defaulters might have to face prosecution, Khatua warned.

Industry officials said the move to ask ginning and pressing factories to file returns of ginner and pressed cotton followed a demand by East India Cotton Association to the textile commissionerfor getting authentic information on loose cotton. While a section of the industry felt loose cotton was accounted in cotton balance sheet produced by CAB periodically others say it was not accounted. At least five lakh bales of loose cotton is assumed to be used by the industry, particularly small spinning units.