People's sufferings continue unabated as complaints regarding unavailability of piped gas and low gas pressure with Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited increased significantly in fiscal year (FY) 2021-22 compared to FY 2020-21.
Titas received 210 complaints about low gas pressure in FY 22, while it was 171 in FY 21. A total of 647 complaints about no gas supply were filed with the company in FY 22, whereas it received 521 such complaints in FY 21, according to the company's data.
As many as 6,862 complaints, like fire accident, gas leakage, low gas pressure, no gas, etc, were filed with Titas Gas in FY 22, while the number was 8,881 in FY 21.
Presently, the company is providing gas through 13,320.39 km pipeline. The number of its total customers stood at 28,77,604 on 30 June 2022.
Titas Gas receives customers' complaints through its emergency complaint centre, call centre and website complaint portal, which are addressed by 29 emergency teams working round-the-clock. In addition, a contractor is engaged to replace damaged pipelines.
An official of Titas Gas, who receives daily complaints, told the FE that people in different areas in the capital face difficulties mainly in the peak hour - from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm every day.
The country's natural gas output is currently hovering around 2,907.5 mmcfd, of which 742.8 mmcfd is regasified imported LNG, according to Petrobangla statistics as on August 6.
Talking to the FE, Titas General Manager (operation) Md. Salim Miah said people are getting around 1,600 mmcfd of gas against the demand of around 2,500 mmcfd.
Gas supply shortage was acute on August 5-6, he added.
Titas in a report last year said customer services were hampered to some extent because of gas supply shortage from the fields against the demand.
Besides, scarcity of imported LNG due to worldwide energy crisis - created by the Russia-Ukraine war - also caused low gas pressure in some parts of the Titas Franchise Area (TFA).
City dwellers in different areas often complain that they fail to prepare daily meals due to no gas supply or low gas pressure, although they are regularly paying bills.
People of Mirpur, Gabtoli, Savar, Bashabo, Khilgaon and Paltan areas are still suffering at different times of the day.
Papri, a 32-year-old housewife in Ababor area, said she faces problems in cooking meals due to low pressure from morning to noon every day.
Even gas supply stops sporadically in recent days, she added.
Babul Barman, a 42-year-old Paltan resident, echoed that he is also witnessing the same problem nowadays.
Md. Emam Uddin Sheikh, Titas Gas General Manager (Metro Dhaka Marketing Division - North) defined the problem as demand-supply mismatch. If the piped gas supply is normal, customers can receive their expected gas for cooking.
Petrobangla provides gas, and Titas just ensures the supply system. There is no problem with Titas system to provide gas to people, he pointed out.
He could not properly say when the existing gas crisis would end.
On January 18, 2022, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid directed the officials concerned to speedily resolve Titas Gas customers' complaints.
He said Titas should increase its accountability to customers, as complaints were constantly being received from them. Disciplinary actions would be taken, if the quality of customer service was not improved.
Consumers Associations of Bangladesh (CAB) energy adviser Professor M Shamsul Alam said people should raise voices against the institutions concerned - regarding not getting their required services - to materialise demands.
Titas Gas customers can conduct mass signature campaigns as well to realise their unmet demands, he pointed out.
CAB also submitted complaints to the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC), but it is yet to receive any feedback or solution, Prof Alam noted.
The BERC should take disciplinary actions against the officials concerned, who are responsible for poor services and irregularities. CAB would go to court soon to hold the Titas Gas officials accountable, he added.
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