Domestic gas connections may be delayed in Chittagong region

Pankaj Dastider CHITTAGONG, May 30: In spite of the latest government decision to provide gas supply to the new residential houses whose owners are anxiously waiting for more than three years the applicants in the Chittagong region are unlikely to get connections before July next due to shortage of the installation materials with the authorities concerned. Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Co, responsible to provide gas connections in the region, does not have sufficient materials for meeting the demand of aspirant domestic consumers. A good number of new domestic connection seekers of Bakhrabad Gas in the KGDC office in the city were seen contacting the concerned officials. One of them told the FE that he was waiting for more than one year after depositing required fees. "I don't know when I will get gas connection to my house," he said. Contractors of the KGDCL said on Thursday that the authority has started working for giving new domestic connections by calling tenders for the same. But lack of supply of service tee, regulators, tape, MS pipe etc will put them in trouble in carrying out installation works, said the KGDCL Contractors' Association leader Nesar Ahmed. A senior official of KGDCL stated that these materials are primarily procured from local small and medium factories most of which were out of production for lack of supply orders due to suspension of new connections since 2009. There are only two factories in the country which supply regulators, a key component of gas risers. Supply of other materials is also short and the contractors will take at least one month to get the supply, said another listed contractor of KGDCL. There are around 13,000 applicants for new domestic connections of natural gas who have been waiting for over three years after depositing money against demand notes issued in their favour by the KGDCL. They have applied for 63,500 burners, most of them in the high-rise buildings constructed by the real estate businesses. These new connections will require at least 70 million cubic feet of gas a day (mmcfd). Authorities are currently providing around 210 mmcfd gas against the existing demand of 400 mmcfd. The demand will go higher to 470 mmcfd with the supply of gas to the new holdings from July next when the new domestic connections will be installed. President of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mahbubul Alam has said the industries of the region are suffering badly from gas crisis and production in many factories has been halted due to non-availability of gas. Besides, investment worth Tk 40 billion in different sectors in the region has long been stalled. "Chittagong, being the highly industrial growth centre, has been suffering from gas and electricity crisis more than other regions of the country," he said. The gas distribution authority is committed to connect gas to those who have paid all their dues against demand notes initially as per government decision, the official said adding that tenders were invited from contractors on May 6 last. Simultaneously, steps have been taken to regularize the unauthorized gas connections in the city which is predominantly high in areas like Halishahar, Bandartilla and Pahartali, it is learnt. But the KGDCL office is not getting response for legalization of unauthorized gas users, sources said. The Petrobangla has extended deadline of submitting declarations regarding unauthorized connections till June 20, which was initially May 30. Not a single declaration of illegal connections seeking regularization reached the office, sources disclosed. New gas connections to residential holdings remained suspended since 2009 which led to a large number of illegal gas connections by the users. While many others have been using four to five burners although they have approval for two burners. According to a statistics, there are nearly 0.15 million illegal gas burners in Chittagong region although there is no specific data with Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Co, sources said. The authority has decided to legalize illegal gas connections at a flat rate of Tk 6750 per dual burner and fine equivalent to three months' gas bills as compensation as per Gas Distribution Rules 2004.