ACC Commissioner Mohammad Mozammel Haque Khan handing over a 12-point recommendation to curb corruption in Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Co Ltd to State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid at the latter’s Secretariat office on Wednesday After identifying 22 sources of graft in Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) submitted on Wednesday an investigation report to the ministry concerned in this regard.
The commission in its report has also put forward a 12-point recommendation to curb corruption in the country's largest natural gas distribution company.
ACC Commissioner Dr Md Mozammel Haque Khan handed over the report to State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid at the secretariat in the city.
An institutional team of the ACC prepared the investigation report. The team was assigned to find types of corruption and its sources and make recommendations to help reduce graft acts in the state-run company.
The commission has suggested Titas install prepaid meters to prevent meter tampering and reduce gas waste at consumer level.
The mobile court should make surprise visit to snap illegal connections and follow up the condition on regular basis to prevent tendency in taking reconnections.
Titas officials shouldn't be appointed on the same position especially in industrial areas for more than one or two years while regular skills development programmes for Titas officials and staffers are needed.
The officials and employees involved in graft should be brought to book and stern actions be taken against dishonest officials for amassing wealth illegally.
Audit objections should be settled promptly while setting up of prosecution department might help the company in taking legal actions against illegal connection takers.
The highest rate of system loss should be fixed and the authority should take appropriate measures to realise pending bills.
Besides, potential sources of graft in Titas include illegal connection, unwillingness of Titas in providing new connections and no legalisation of illegal connections, reconnecting illegal gas lines, lack of legal actions against illicit connections, 'invisible' interference in giving illegal connections, defying rules and regulations in providing new connections, meter tampering and diversion, multiple duty of same officials and harassment of clients while giving legal connections.
Giving industrial line to commercial clients at lower price, gas connections to boiler and generator without approval, showing system loss despite lower supply of gas than estimation, gas supply to households at low pressure to divert it to industries illegally, avoiding installation of electric volume corrector (EVC) deliberately, collection of bills from illicit burners similar to legal ones, misappropriation of funds collected from bills showing excessive sale of gas, collection of bills from illegal clients through fake receipts, delay in transfer of funds to mother account of Titas from regional accounts, and taking too much time in collecting pending bills.
Apart from such sources of corruption, the commission also found irregularities in the tendering process, corruption in purchase of goods, and fine collection process etc.
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