Syed Shemul Parvez :
The explosion in the capital’s Maghbazar was occurred due to the negligence of the Titas Gas Authority. The information has come up in the investigation of the investigation committee formed at the police headquarters.
According to the sources, a derelict gas line of Titas was found under the Bengal Meat generator room on the ground floor of the three-storey house in Moghbazar. And there was an active gas line supply. The gas emitted from the hole of that line and deposited in a room (chiller room) of Bengal Meat. The investigation has finally revealed that there was a horrific explosion from an electric spark for the reason of gas leakage.
The chairman of the seven-member investigation committee of the police and also the Head of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) Unit, is Mohammad Asaduzzaman. “Our investigation has been streamlined. A report will be issued very soon, may be in a day or two”, CTTC head said.
Meanwhile, Titas authorities have been claiming since the blast that there was no gas connection to the house. Though there was existence of gas pipeline, but it was not operational.
However, after talking to several members of the police committee involved in the investigation, it was learned that the Titas authorities had disconnected the illegal gas connection of the house from the riser seven years ago.
But the supply of gas on that line has not been stopped permanently. Rather the opportunity to use gas was kept illegally. There was also a hole in that pipeline. From that hole the gas first goes into the generator room. From there gas goes to the chiller room and than gas accumulates.
Asked about this, Al Amin, Head of Commercial, Bengal Meat, told the media, “Chiller rooms are usually remained closed. Products are stored there. We don’t understand how gas accumulated and exploded there. “
A member of the police investigation committee told media on condition of anonymity that the illegal connection from the main line of Titas crossed the Bengal Meat generator room at an angle and it rose to the top.
The visible part at the top of the pipe has been disconnected. Although disconnected in 2014, the pipeline was not removed permanently for mysterious reasons. The gas line was in operation until the explosion.
An attempt was made to contact Ali Iqbal Mohammad Nurullah, Managing Director of the company, to know the statement of the Titas Gas Authority over his mobile phone. But he did not pick up the phone. He could not be reached even after sending a text message (SMS) on the phone.
The blast took place on the ground floor of the house on the evening of June 27.
It killed 12 people. More than two hundred were injured. The blast even blew away the glass of at least seven nearby buildings. Three buses on the road were also damaged.
Various agencies, including the police, have formed six investigation committees to investigate into the incident.
