Prepaid gas meter project hits speed bump

FE Team | Published: January 06, 2018 22:32:35

Titas Gas Company's target to install some 200,000 prepaid meters in Dhaka city is unlikely to be achieved within the timeframe of December 2018 due to leaks in service lines, faulty connections and consumers' unwillingness, reports UNB.
According to official sources, teams of the Titas Gas Company Ltd will see 40 per cent meters uninstalled.
They said the Titas-appointed contractor's inadequate manpower delayed implementation of the project.
A top official of the Titas Gas Prepaid Meter Project said these meters are very sensitive.
"These won't work if there's any leak either in service line or in household connection. So, we've to suspend installation of the prepaid meters for those faulty connections."
State-owned Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd undertook the project, 'Installation of Prepaid Gas Meter', in 2013 for initially adding 200,000 meters to household connections in different areas, including Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara, Bashundhara, Badda, Tejgaon, Cantonment, Kafrul, Khilkhet, Uttara, Mirpur and adjacent areas in the city.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the project involving Tk 7.12 billion (712 crore) fixing the project completion periods between January 2015 and December 2018.
"But three-fourth of the total time was lost in red-tapism well before the start of the project," said an official.
Finally, he said, Titas started installing meters on September 17 last year, but started facing problems shortly.
Officials said when Titas moved for physical work, it found many of its service lines, which were laid underground from main gas lines in the streets to the consumers' houses, are faulty. It also found the house lines from gas connections' raising points to house hold ovens are also leaked.
Officials said 13,174 meters were installed in three months and 10 days until December 26, 2017 although the plan was to install 23,000 meters during this time.
Contacted, Titas Gas Prepaid Meter Project Director Fazlur Rahman admitted the problems and said they sent letters to the consumers concerned asking them to fix the leaks with the help of Titas.
"But response from the consumers' end is very poor. Some 400 letters were sent but we've received little response," he said.
"Toyokeiki Co Ltd, the selected contractor, was asked to increase its manpower, but they look reluctant. It makes the situation critical causing further delay in the project work," one official said preferring anonymity.
Besides, there are allegations that local sub-contractors of the project are taking additional money from consumers if any leak is found in their gas connections during the meter installation.
Over the slow progress of the meter project, State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid said he was not very happy over the performance of the Energy Division.