Special Correspondent :
The officials and employees of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited (TGTDCL) have engaged in a ‘quadrangular’ lobby to place their favourite candidate to the post of its Managing Director (MD) as the tenure of the incumbent MD will expire next week.
Even, the employees’ Collective Burgening Association (CBA) has divided into two groups over the issue fuelling tentions within the state-owned entity, sources said.
They said, one group is lobbying hard with government high-ups to extend the tenure of the outgoing MD Engr Mir Mashiur Rahman, while three others are backing two in service deputy managing directors (DMDs) and two senior officials of two state-owned entities to get the top post of Titas Gas.
“Names of five contenders have already been appeared in the scene and the groups are lobbying hard with government high-ups to place their favourite candidates in the top post of the company,” a senior TGTDCL official told The New Nation yesterday on condition of anonymity.
He said all of them are running campaign highlighting corruption charges of the opposite sides’ MD contenders with a view to preventing them from getting the post. Even the MD contenders have engaged themselves in unwanted ‘tug of war’ tarnishing image of the organisation.
“A massive campaign has launched against Mir Mashiur Rahman as he is trying to extend his job,” he added.
When asked, the Titas official said, “They want to see their favoured candidate to the top post of the organisation with a view to securing stake in quick bucks mainly from unauthorised gas connection and gas bill comission business.
“A syndicate inside Titas is running the smear campaign in a planned way to oust me from the organization,” Mir Mashiur Rahman told The New Nation yesterday.
He said, Titas has achieved maximum success during his tenure. The company’s revenue collection increased significantly during this tenure and stringent measures have been taken to disconnect illegal gas connection.
Brushing aside the corruption allegation brought against him, he said, a media recently carried out a report on bribe transaction by Titas officials. The same report was aired on a TV channel report one year ago.
“The government formed two investigation committees following the TV report. But the committees found no authenticity of the report. The newspaper published the report again with an ill motive,” he added.
The graft practices by Titas officials recently hit media headlines forcing the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to summoned eight of its high officials to investigate the allegations. Besides, another group is running a similar campaign against the incumbent MD of Sundarban Gas Company Mushtaq Ahmed, as he is believed to be a key contender of Titas’s top post. “A nasty campaign is running inside Titas over the appointment of new managing director. I’m shocked by the unexpected event,” said Mushtaq Ahmed, who earlier performed as Company Secretary of TGTDCL.
He also claimed that no allegation was raised against him when he served in Titas.
“Several groups are out to involve in dirty politics over appointment of the Titas managing director. They are desperately working to win the race,” said DMD Engr. Md. Moshihur Rahman. He said, after the current MD, I am the senior most. I have been working in this company for a long time. But I have not been properly evaluated. It is now up to the government who will be the next MD.
Mashiur Rahman, however, said he likes to see a Titas official to the post of next MD, but not from another government entity. In the run up of the campaign, corruption allegation was also raised against DMD Engr Md. Abdul Ohab, who is another candidate for the Titas MD post.
He has been accused of provioding illegal gas connections to the CNG stations and private companies in Gazipur district. As corruption by Titas officials has been circulated in media, another group is making hectic lobby to appoint a senior official of Petrobangla to the post of Titas MD in a bid to rebuild image of the organisation.
When asked, Petrobangla Chairman Abul Mansur Md. Faizullah, said, “We’re yet to decide who will be the next MD of Titas. We will make decisions in due time.”
Titas Gas is a subsidiary of Petrobangla, which is supplying natural gas to household and industrial customers under its franchise area.
Currently, the company distributes gas in the districts of Dhaka, Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Munshiganj, Manikganj, Gazipur, Tangail, Bogura, Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Sherpur, Netrakona, and Kishoreganj.
