& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Total closure apprehended

Fund crisis hits hard Khulna Newsprint Mills

From Staff Correspondent
KHULNA. Jan 29: It is now only a matter of time when the only newsprint mills of the country would be shut down as there is no buyer left to keep it alive. Financial crisis is so acute that payment of wages has become a serious problem.
According to a highly placed source of Khulna Newsprint Mills (KNM). at present there are 3.600 metric tonnes of newsprint worth over Taka seven crore and twenty lakh in the stock in the mills godowns. These are yet to be sold as buyers preferring foreign newsprint do not want to buy it.
Lower quality product is also one of the factors for buyers' reluctance in purchasing newsprint from this mills. To attain international standard, authorities of the mills have taken some steps including import of bleach pulp and introduction of modern mechanism. The proposals have already been sent to the concerned ministry. If those are okayed, then Khulna Newsprint Mills .will reach the international
standard in quality, it is hoped.
The existing quality is low as there is no bleach pulp here. Gewa wood is the only raw material being used for producing newsprint here, for which it fails to get the colour and thickness like imported white print, said the Production Manager of KNM.
There are allegations that newspaper owners are not buying KNM product. They are preferring foreign newsprint to KNM product for some obvious reasons. They are Importing tax-free newsprint enjoying all facilities given by the government. Besides, importers are importing white print in the name of newsprint at a cheaper rate creating serious problem for KNM product now being stocked in huge quantity in the godowns. It is worth mentioning that foreign newsprint is available at Taka 22 to 25 thousand per metric ton. while Khulna newsprint is being sold at Taka 28.000 per metric ton. The KNM authorities are reported to have proposed to Bangladesh Chemical Indus-
tries Corporation (BCIC) to refix the selling rate of newsprint.
According to a highly placed source, necessary measures are being taken to ensure minimum 50 gms of thickness of Khulna newsprint, while the thickness of foreign newsprint is 48 gms. High quality foreign newsprint is harder, but thinner than Khulna newsprint.
Steps are being taken to import bleach pulp to convert its colour into white. KNM sources said that L/C has already been opened to import about one thousand metric tons of bleach pulp from Russia. It is expected to reach the country soon, the sources said. When received, it will meet the need for three months only.
The sources confirmed that it is not at all possible to make any headway in Improving the quality due to acute fund crisis. To attain international standard. the mills require Taka 43 crore. It has a loss amounting about Taka 16 crore in the last three years mainly due to corrupt practices of a section of vested interests. ,