KARACHI, May 9: The paper imported from Indonesia for the printing of textbooks for government primary schools has been found to be substandard, sources said. It was learnt that the Sindh Textbook Board
, which was already under criticism for finalizing a loose agreement with a private party with regard to import of printing paper, has accepted the consignment, which was said to be of lower quality.
The offset printing paper (60 GSM) failed to meet the product specifications, as mentioned in the agreement, the sources said, adding that the private party had failed to supply imported Indonesian paper with watermark insignia "Sindh Textbook Board," two STB-listed private publishers said, who had been provided with the paper for book printing.
Under the agreement, the private party was bound to supply freshly-manufactured paper with board insignia in the original manufacturer's packing, which it failed to ensure, while the paper had already been supplied to the publishers for Rs850 per ream, a source in the market added, saying that the STB was being lenient towards the supplier, instead of demanding replacement for the substandard paper.
A paper dealer said that the watermark insignia was included in the paper to avert piracy of books or misuse of paper, and the paper manufacturers charged additional amount for that. As per an estimate, the supplier had saved Rs4.8 million in the supply of 2,439 tonnes of printing paper, the dealer added.
STB official while confirming that the board had been provided with substandard paper, said that the supplier once again had failed to come up to the mark.
However, he added, in a situation when the board was under pressure for not meeting the schedule of supply, it had to accept the substandard paper. The official defended the STB for its alleged slackness in handling the paper issue, saying that it was a minor mistake.
