Stop illegal gas connection

According to the Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company, more than 111,000 illegal gas connections were disconnected over the past nine months, an average of over 12,000 per month. While these figures highlight the scale of gas theft, they also reveal long-standing irregularities and deep-rooted weaknesses in energy management and regulation.

At a time when industrial production is disrupted and ordinary people are suffering due to energy shortages, stealing gas by illegally tapping pipelines is not merely a criminal offence but a serious blow to the national economy. Taking advantage of disconnected residential lines, unscrupulous groups have reportedly created parallel distribution networks, raising serious questions about the effectiveness of regulatory oversight.

Allegations that illegal gas syndicates involve housing developers, influential homeowners, and even corrupt officials within distribution agencies point to a systemic failure. Lines are installed in crowded alleys under cover of darkness, while multi-storey buildings run multiple stoves under the guise of old connections - often right under the administration's nose. Sporadic raids have become a repetitive ritual rather than a lasting solution.

Energy experts rightly argue that this deep-rooted problem requires public participation, transparency, and institutional reform. Strict legal and financial penalties must be imposed on those facilitating illegal connections, alongside incentives for whistleblowers. Expanding smart metering and digital monitoring, particularly in dense urban areas, would significantly reduce human interference and corruption.

MD. Noor Hamza Peash

LL.B. Student, Department Of Law

World University of Bangladesh