Chandraghona: Karnaphuli Paper Mill (KPM), a nationalized paper manufacturing facility situated in Kaptai upazila, has recommenced operations after a four-day halt caused by a technical malfunction.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, KPM Managing Director Shahid Ullah confirmed that the production stoppage was due to a technical issue at the Wagga water pump house near the Karnaphuli River. The mill’s operations heavily rely on water sourced from the river for paper manufacturing. The recent advent of the dry season led to a noticeable decrease in the river’s water level during low tide, which affected the water pumping process and necessitated a temporary closure of the plant. To address this, the water access point was manually excavated and augmented with a sand extraction pipeline, allowing production to restart.
In a related development, the Election Commission, via the Bangladesh Stationery Office, has requested 915 metric tons of brown, pink, and green paper from KPM for the production of ballot papers for the forthcoming 13th National Parliamentary elections. The Managing Director stated that 537 metric tons have already been delivered, and efforts are ongoing to provide the remaining 378 metric tons progressively as production continues to stabilize.