Titas to launch drives in April to snap illegal gas connections

FE Team | Published: March 23, 2011 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Sonia H Moni
Titas Gas will run special drives in April to disconnect illegal gas connections in Dhaka and its adjacent areas. Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited (TGTDCL) Managing Director Md Abdul Aziz Khan told the FE: "Our mobile courts will start conducting drives at the CNG stations, re-rolling mills and lime, glass and silicate factories in Dhaka and its adjacent areas from the first week of the next month." "In this regard we seek for names of the magistrates from the DCs (deputy commissioners) concerned for formation of mobile courts to operate drives in the TGTDCL areas to snap illegal connections," he also said. The areas under TGTDCL are - Dhaka, Gazipur, Savar, Manikganj, Narayanganj, Bhairab, Munshiganj, Narshingdi, Brahmanbaria, Ashuganj, Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Kishoreganj and Sherpur. Petrobangla Chairman Md Hussain Monsur said, "TGTDCL will operate the drives with a view to strengthening implementation of the Bangladesh Gas Act 2010." He said before 2006, the number of new gas connections in Dhaka and its adjacent areas was between 30,000 and 40,000 per year. But the number has unusually reached around 200,000 during 2006-08 despite the fact that use of gas has increased a lot. He said, "There was only one CNG-station in the country in 2001, now the number of CNG-stations has reached 585. Among these, 374 CNG stations are under TGTDCL." "Some of the CNG-stations are using illegal gas connections. This time we will take strong punitive steps against the owners of those CNG-stations, so that we could reduce pressure on gas supply. At the same time, the mobile courts will also inspect the re-rolling mills and lime, glass and silicate factories under the TGTDCL areas." As per the Bangladesh Gas Act 2010, if anyone or any company uses illegal gas connection, then the person or the company has to face the punishment of maximum five years of jail-term or payment of a maximum fine of Tk 100,000 or both. Bangladesh has gas reserve of around 12.0 trillion cubic feet to 15.0 trillion cubic feet. The reserve might be finished by 2012, if gas use continues at the present rate. The country has gas supply shortage of 300 million cubic feet to 500 million cubic feet per day, according to Petrobangla data.