Anisul Islam Noor :
Titas Gas Distribution and Transmission Company Limited (TGDTCL) has been losing revenue of about Tk100 crore annually due to illegal gas connection and pilferage in Narayanganj and Munshiganj districts, according to study carried out by Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) of Planning Ministry.
The other reasons are meter tampering and faulty meters, and seepage of gas through faulty gas pipes and illegal connections.
IMED has completed its field study through two consultancy firms in June. Recently it has submitted their report to TGDTCL.
According to the study, natural gas is highest consumed in Narayanganj Sadar, Fatullah and Munshiganj (Area-1) and Sonargaon (Area-2). Besides households, there are 38 gas stations, 303 captive power plants, and 715 re-rolling mills in these areas.
In the first three months of this year, Area-1 consumed 210-mmcf gas, but bills were prepared for 173.7mmcf gas. Similarly Area-2 consumed 304.1 mmcf gas but bills were prepared for 278.9 mmcf gas. In these two regions, Titas have been deprived of the price of 43.5mmcf gas during the same time, which was 8.77 percent of total supplied gas. Of them, six percent had been showed as system loss.
The price of pilferage gas (in the name of system loss) is Tk26.10 crore (Tk six per cubic foot) which is Tk104.44 crore annually.
Talking to The New Nation, acting Managing Director of TGDTCL Md Nowshad Islam said, the ratio is not cent percent correct because IMED did not take into account the gas transmission capacity of these areas. In the past, Titas tried to cut illegal gas lines in Narayanganj area but failed miserably primarily due to stiff resistance from the people managing such connections, he said. The country as a whole has been suffering from acute shortage of precious natural gas for years. Contrarily, legitimate business sectors and the formal housing sector have been paying the price. It is clearly a pilfering activity, which can be prevented if the government and its party men abstain from such unethical doing, said Professor Anu Muhammad.
Titas Gas needs to correct faulty meters so that bills are collected properly and the dilapidated gas carrying pipes are curbed. Failure to eradicate illegal gas connections is the government’s failure. Finally, the people involved should be taken to task, he said.
