AS per a national daily reports in Dhaka district and beyond, illegal gas pipelines were extended since 2010 with the direct nexus of locally influential politicians, top officials of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited (TGTDCL), industrial and domestic users as the findings revealed in a report of a three-member probe committee of TGTDCL. Bangladesh’s long time quest for reducing energy crisis has been constrained since the illegal gas connections have briskly spread across the country. Concerned officials’ and politicians’ involvement in this ill practice has made the situation dire and it needs a vigorous move to identify as well as punish the wrong-doers who want to unsettle the sustainability of the Energy Sector of Bangladesh.
There are about 200 kilometers of illegal gas lines taken from Titas, according to Petrobangla. It seems that there is anarchy in the way gas connections are being given and it also seems that there is no rule with regard to illegal connections. The illegal connections spree began in May 2013 after the government lifted a three-year ban and announced that it would make illegal lines legal. More than one lakh illegal gas lines have been legalized so far. There are also illegal power connections, but their actual numbers are hard to find. These unlawful connections have deprived the government of huge revenue income and the legal users of adequate gas supply. They also pose a threat to the households and the locals, as the quality and the layout of the distribution lines fall way short of the standard. A report says illegal gas providers — local leaders and contractors — often cheated the subscribers in the pretext of ‘legalising the lines soon’. And they hardly deposited the money so collected in the Titas official account. There are allegations that some Titas officials, local administration, and police also make some quick bucks from the illegal trade.
When the Titas authorities came to know about the illegal connections a few months ago, they sent several teams to disconnect the lines. But they had to go back in the face of strong resistance from the locals. Locals even harassed and assaulted the officials on several occasions. The situation thus has been worsened as the administration did not act timely and, duly and it has been difficult to solve as many quarters are involved in this illegal trade of gas. In this situation, strong drive of the government is urgently needed to find out culprits who are repeatedly cheating the people through open fraud.
As the three-member probe committee of TGTDCL failed to successfully investigate and submit the proper report, another probe committee under the concerned Ministry needs to be formed. Concerned authorities should have the intention to make the Energy Sector sustainable by rooting out the dishonest traders.
