Govt has no accurate data of illegal gas connections

The government has no accurate data of illegal gas connections across the country.

Titas Gas and other gas distribution agencies do not have any mechanism to identify the illegal gas connections.

Sometimes, they launched drives to disconnect the illegal gas connections after receiving information from unofficial sources, according to officials.

Some corrupt officials of the gas distribution public agencies have allegedly been involved in providing the unauthorized gas connections, sources said.

They deployed their agents in every area who collect the money from the illegal users and the distribution entities are reluctant to identify the illegal connections due to their interest, experts said.

“This is the utter failure of the government and the illegal gas connection rise unabated due to the political influence,” said an expert.

“Titas is an institutionally corrupt organisation.  Their crews are involved with the illegal activities,” Prof Shamsul Alom, Energy Advisor to Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB) told Business Insider Bangladesh,

“The CAB and journalists have the information but Titas don’t have. That means they are deliberately reluctant to unearth the truth,’ he said.

The liquefied natural gas is now being imported and supplied at higher prices to meet the local demand, he said. “If the illegal gas connection is not stopped, the government’s financial loss will increase day by day,” said the CAB adviser.

Officials also admitted that the providers of illegal gas connections are the employees of distribution companies.

Ex-adviser to caretaker government Prof M Tamim said, “If the government doesn’t offer an attractive price for alternative energy, the illegal connection will not be stopped.”

About 3,58,589 households, 61 commercials, eight industrials, and one CNG station had illegal gas connections, according to a report of Petrobangla.

Of the connections, 3, 35,702 households, all commercial, and CNG were severed. However, there are still 22,887 connections in the residential sector. Of these illegal connections, most are under Titas Gas.

Titas Gas in a statement on July 5 said 112 drives to snap the illegal gas connections were carried out in the first six months of this year.

The inspection team disconnected 130 commercial and 1 industrial illegal gas user and Tk 68,50,000 were fined, it said.

Even after the drive, there are still 34 km of illegal pipelines in Sonargaon, 6 km in Narayanganj’s Araihazar, 42 km in Rupganj, 11 km in Bandar, and 27 km in Gazaria.

Titas Gas Managing Director Ali Iqbal Md Nurullah told Business Insider Bangladesh, “I can't say how many illegal gas connections there are. We are now conducting operations wherever we can. Even then, illegal connections over about a hundred kilometers exist. We will phase it out soon.’

As many as 13,909 illegal connections with a length of 69.42 km have been identified in the residential sector till March this year in the area under the Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Limited, which is in charge of gas distribution in the Cumilla-Chandpur area.

Of these, 13,568 were snapped. But 341 were still left. Some 13 commercial and one in industrial and captive connections each were disconnected.

Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited, which is in charge of gas distribution in Chattogram region, disconnected 307 households, 14 commercial and one industrial connection till March this year, according to Petrobangla.

Saiful Azam, general manager (marketing) of the company, said Karnaphuli have no illegal connections in the area.

In contrast, several officials of the company said it cannot be ruled out that there are no illegal connections in the distribution area of Karnaphuli because they don’t have any survey on it.

Pashchimanchal Gas Company Limited disconnected 105 residential, eight commercial, and one industrial illegal connections in Bogura zone.

Jalalabad Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited disconnected 118 residential and 12 commercial illegal connections. Sundarbans Gas Company Limited snapped 23 residential illegal connections until March this year in Sylhet area.

Ex-Petrobangla Chairman Muktadir Ali said jobless contractors who were enlisted with Titas are mainly involved with providing the illegal connection. “Politically influential people are also responsible for unethical activities.”