The Hindu : New Delhi News : Inferior quality of paper used in textbooks: BJP

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Monday, Mar 10, 2008
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Inferior quality of paper used in textbooks: BJP

Staff Reporter

“Certain politicians, officials responsible”
Proposes CBI raid at printing centres

NEW DELHI: Claiming that inferior quality paper has been used in the publishing of school textbooks, Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party president Harsh Vardhan has urged Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna to order a probe into the alleged scam.

Dr. Vardhan in a letter to Mr. Khanna charged that certain politicians and officials of the Education Department were responsible for the use of poor quality paper in the printing of books and as such a criminal case should be filed against them. He also demanded that a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation be ordered to bring out the complete truth.

Elaborating on the issue, Dr. Vardhan said the Delhi Bureau of Text Books situated at Janakpuri had invited tenders in the last week of January 2008 for purchase of papers worth Rs.16 crore for printing books for schools this year and contract for the bulk purchase was given to some selected paper mills at the instance of the Education Minister.

“Some conditions were deliberately included in the tender so that this work could only be given to the favourite firms,” he charged.

He said under the tender specification, supply of maplitho papers of 80 grams and 70 grams were to be done in bulk. However, due to the connivance, he charged, the mills supplied low grade paper.

Stating that the work of printing of books was currently on at various presses, he said, the CBI should raid them and seize the paper and test it for establishing the charge.

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