Anisul Islam Noor :
Gas supply pipelines area had been illegally expanded in and around Dhaka district since 2010 under the direct patronage of locally influential politicians and top officials of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited (TGTDCL).
The findings were exposed recently in a report of a three-member Probe Committee headed by Khan Moinul Islam Mushtaq, a member of the TGTDCL board.
The same group also expanded illegal gas connections to industrial as well as domestic users in these areas.
On September 15, 2015, the Titas Board instituted the probe into the complaints that connections had been expanded illegally and to identify the perpetrators.
The probe committee submitted its report to Energy Division Secretary and TGTDCL board Nazimuddin Chowdhury on Monday.
According to the report senior officials, including the Managing Director of TGTDCL Md Nowshad Islam, gave no cooperation to the probe committee with information about the illegal gas supply pipelines as well as the connections.
Asked why the top TGTDCL officials were not cooperative although the probe was instituted by the company’s board, Moinul Islam said that they were possibly trying to shield the beneficiaries.
However, Nowshad Islam refused to speak on the issues. Reminded of his commitment that corruption would be eliminated from the energy sector by the current year, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said that he would take severe action against the offenders.
He also said that he had not read the report as he did not get it yet.
The probe report said that the probe committee received no response from TGTDCL managing director to requests conveyed through the company secretary to hold a meeting with it to facilitate the investigation.
During the investigation, Titas General Manager for Gazipur Md. Joynal Abedin admitted to the probe committee that gas connections
had been illegally extended to several industries, said the report.
He also told the committee that no action was taken by TGTDCL against the offenders following instructions from the ‘higher authorities’.
But Joynal refused to provide further details relating to the irregularities.
No information about the irregularities were provided to the Probe Committee when it approached TGTDCL General Managers and Deputy General Managers in Mymensingh, Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Sonargaon, Dhaka North and Dhaka South Divisions of the company, said the report.
They also refused to divulge the names of the perpetrators of the gross irregularities, the beneficiaries and the addresses where the connections were extended illegally, it said.
According to the report the consumption of gas by unauthorized industrial users by far exceeded the consumption by unauthorized domestic users.
During disconnection drives, Titas managers and other personnel became victims of attacks by the illegal beneficiaries with direct support and encouragement from the influential officials and contractors of TGTDCL in association with local political leaders.
The Probe Committee included Liakat Ali Bhuiyan Board Member of Titas, and Zabed Chowdhury, General Manager of Petrobangla. TGTDCL, the country’s largest gas supply utility is a subsidiary of Petrobangla.
Dhaka district and the adjacent districts witnessed an unprecedented spate in laying of illegal gas supply pipelines and extending unauthorized connections after the government slapped a ban on new connections on July 13, 2010.
Partial lifting of the embargo on April 7, 2013 proved useless in checking the illegal connections, said officials.
The embargo on extending new connections to domestic and commercial users as well as CNG filling stations is still in force.
Gas supply pipelines area had been illegally expanded in and around Dhaka district since 2010 under the direct patronage of locally influential politicians and top officials of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited (TGTDCL).
The findings were exposed recently in a report of a three-member Probe Committee headed by Khan Moinul Islam Mushtaq, a member of the TGTDCL board.
The same group also expanded illegal gas connections to industrial as well as domestic users in these areas.
On September 15, 2015, the Titas Board instituted the probe into the complaints that connections had been expanded illegally and to identify the perpetrators.
The probe committee submitted its report to Energy Division Secretary and TGTDCL board Nazimuddin Chowdhury on Monday.
According to the report senior officials, including the Managing Director of TGTDCL Md Nowshad Islam, gave no cooperation to the probe committee with information about the illegal gas supply pipelines as well as the connections.
Asked why the top TGTDCL officials were not cooperative although the probe was instituted by the company’s board, Moinul Islam said that they were possibly trying to shield the beneficiaries.
However, Nowshad Islam refused to speak on the issues. Reminded of his commitment that corruption would be eliminated from the energy sector by the current year, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said that he would take severe action against the offenders.
He also said that he had not read the report as he did not get it yet.
The probe report said that the probe committee received no response from TGTDCL managing director to requests conveyed through the company secretary to hold a meeting with it to facilitate the investigation.
During the investigation, Titas General Manager for Gazipur Md. Joynal Abedin admitted to the probe committee that gas connections
had been illegally extended to several industries, said the report.
He also told the committee that no action was taken by TGTDCL against the offenders following instructions from the ‘higher authorities’.
But Joynal refused to provide further details relating to the irregularities.
No information about the irregularities were provided to the Probe Committee when it approached TGTDCL General Managers and Deputy General Managers in Mymensingh, Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Sonargaon, Dhaka North and Dhaka South Divisions of the company, said the report.
They also refused to divulge the names of the perpetrators of the gross irregularities, the beneficiaries and the addresses where the connections were extended illegally, it said.
According to the report the consumption of gas by unauthorized industrial users by far exceeded the consumption by unauthorized domestic users.
During disconnection drives, Titas managers and other personnel became victims of attacks by the illegal beneficiaries with direct support and encouragement from the influential officials and contractors of TGTDCL in association with local political leaders.
The Probe Committee included Liakat Ali Bhuiyan Board Member of Titas, and Zabed Chowdhury, General Manager of Petrobangla. TGTDCL, the country’s largest gas supply utility is a subsidiary of Petrobangla.
Dhaka district and the adjacent districts witnessed an unprecedented spate in laying of illegal gas supply pipelines and extending unauthorized connections after the government slapped a ban on new connections on July 13, 2010.
Partial lifting of the embargo on April 7, 2013 proved useless in checking the illegal connections, said officials.
The embargo on extending new connections to domestic and commercial users as well as CNG filling stations is still in force.
