The 13th National Parliamentary Election will be held on February 12, 2026, but Karnaphuli Paper Mills Limited (KPM) has supplied only 531 of the 915 tons of paper, including ballots, requested by the Election Commission, with full delivery expected by January 15.
Meanwhile, production at the factory located in Chandraghona, Chittagong, has been shut down for several days due to a water crisis. Officials, however, expect production to resume soon.
Moidul Islam, general manager (Production) of Karnaphuli Paper Mills Limited, told Dhaka Tribune: “Of the 915 tons of paper requested by the Election Commission, we have already supplied 531 tons. The remaining paper is to be delivered by January 15. We hope to hand over the remaining 384 tons to the Election Commission within the stipulated time.”
According to sources at KPM, the factory has three machines, all very old. Only one of them is still barely operational. This machine produces 25–30 tons of paper per day. For the past three to four days, even this functioning machine has been shut down due to water shortages in Kaptai Lake in Rangamati.
Abul Kashem, additional chief manager (Technical) and Head of the MTS Division at Karnaphuli Paper Mills Limited, told Dhaka Tribune: “As in previous years, this time too the Election Commission has issued a requisition for 915 tons of paper to print ballot papers for the national parliamentary election. We began producing the paper one month ago in accordance with the requisition. Paper for every national election and all other elections is supplied by KPM.”
He further added: “Due to certain issues, production at the factory is currently halted. Paper production requires a large amount of water, which is sourced from Kaptai Lake. As it is the dry season, the water level in the lake has dropped significantly. The existing pipes cannot draw water at this level. Therefore, the pipelines are being extended further downward. We hope to resolve this issue by Saturday and resume paper production.”
Expressing optimism, he said that once production resumes, it will take 20–22 days to produce the remaining paper needed by the Election Commission. It is expected that the paper can be delivered before the deadline.
