Karnaphuli Paper Mills resumes production after 4-day shutdown

RANGAMATI, Dec 13 (BSS): Karnaphuli Paper Mills (KPM), a nationalized paper manufacturing company located at Chandraghona in Kaptai upazila of the district, resumed its production on Saturday following a four-day shutdown caused by a technical fault.
KPM Managing Director (MD) Shahid Ullah confirmed the development, saying that production was halted due to a technical problem at the Wagga water pump house adjacent to the Karnaphuli River. The mill depends heavily on water drawn from the river for paper production.
He explained that the onset of the dry season had significantly reduced the river's water level during low tide, hampering adequate water pumping and forcing the temporary suspension of operations. To resolve the issue, the water access point was deepened through manual excavation and the use of a sand extraction pipeline, enabling production to resume, he added.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission, through the Bangladesh Stationery Office (BSO), has placed a requisition for 915 tonnes of brown, pink and green paper from KPM for printing ballot papers for the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary elections. "Of the total demand, 537 tonnes have already been supplied," the MD said, adding that efforts are underway to deliver the remaining 378 tonnes in phases as production stabilises.