Scarce non-judicial stamps multiply buyers' woes

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FE Report
The country is now facing an acute crisis of non-judicial stamps causing its abnormal price hike in the market and sufferings to the people, said sources.
The vested quarters are making hefty profits taking the advantage of the crisis. They charged as high as Tk 1,000 for a set of non-judicial stamps worth only Tk 150. They have made a stock of the stamps to create an artificial crisis, it was alleged.
The people, especially those aspiring for the Rajdhani Unnayan Katripakkha (Rajuk) plots, are running here and there to collect these stamps and file their applications as the deadline nears, according to the sources.
The Security Printing Corporation (Bangladesh) Ltd (SPCL), entrusted with the task of printing non-judicial stamps, however, claimed that the crisis was over.
"We have started printing the non-judicial stamps from early December after a pause of two months," a senior SPCL official told the FE Sunday.
Printing of non-judicial stamps in the security printing press at Tejgaon has been initiated recently after the halt for a couple of months.
Stamps are now being supplied across the country through government treasuries. The post offices and stamp vendors are also getting stamps in large numbers everyday, the official added.
The failure of the Arzo Wiggins, a France-based company, in supplying required paper in time has put the government at bay in printing the non-judicial stamps, the SPCL official mentioned.
Despite repeated attempts, the company, selected through bidding, failed to provide the paper with required specification in time.
The authority floated tender twice but failed to attract any single bidder.
Later the Arzo Wiggins proposed to provide inferior quality paper citing non-availability of such papers in the international market.
The upcoming ninth general election, the Upazilla election and the Rajuk's offer of plots at Uttara and Purbachol compounded the crisis, officials observed.
"We are now considering floatation of open tender instead of the previous tender for listing interested companies to ensure participation of more companies in bidding," SPCL General Manager Zeauddin Ahmed told the FE.
'It will ensure availability of paper as per our specifications within the shortest possible time,' Mr Ahmed added.
"The post offices should have incentives against the sale of non-judicial stamps," said Director General of Bangladesh Post Office Mobasherur Rahman.
It will not only encourage the post offices to sell the non-judicial stamps but also stop the monopoly of the vested quarter, he said.
Currently the post offices do not get any commission on sale of the non-judicial stamps, added Mr Rahman.