136 km illegal gas line; 22,000 stoves still exist

Despite the government's repeated warnings against pilferage and illegal consumption of gas, the country still has 136 km of illegal gas pipelines and 22,049 stoves.

Earlier, the Energy and Mineral Resources Division (EMRD) set December 31 as the deadline to remove all illegal gas lines across the country. 

But a recent report of the EMRD revealed that the huge amount of illegal pipelines and stoves was still being used, reports Bangla Tribune.  

Most of the illegal connections encompassing 128 km belong to Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd (TGTDCL), the biggest gas company of the country, says the report.  

The rest of the pipelines are under the jurisdiction of Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Ltd (BGDCL).

Of the total number of identified illegal stoves, as many as 21,854 belong to TGTDCL, with only 195 to the Bakhrabad gas company.   

However, TGTDCL removed 620 km of illegal pipelines and disconnected the supply of gas to 309,159 stoves till December last year. 

Meanwhile, the BGDCL authorities got rid of 37 km of illegal gas connections and snapped gas supply to 12,264 stoves over the same period.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid on September 7 ordered the authorities concerned to disconnect all illegal gas lines within the next two months.

He also directed them to remove any form of infrastructure and establishments built over the gas supply lines.  

Irregular activities of a section of government officials are tarnishing the image of politicians and the government, Nasrul added as he spoke about the illegal gas and power connections.

Later, a committee was formed by the EMRD to remove countrywide illegal gas connections by December 31.

It may be recalled that the government in 2015 stopped providing new households with gas connections owing to an acute shortage in gas supply. 

About the existing illegal lines and stoves, an EMRD official, preferring anonymity, said a section of people tended to have gas connections by any means.

"Unscrupulous consumers used to get connections from authorised pipelines installed by the gas companies. But the trend has changed completely-- now they plant lines on their own," he said. 

On December 31, the committee formed to remove illegal gas connections held a meeting at the EMRD, where Additional Secretary (Operations) Md Abul Monsur said the gas companies were being given three weeks to identify how many industrial connections were getting gas illegally, alongside the household consumers.

Sources at the EMRD said only identified illegal connections had been removed and so unidentified ones were still in operation.  

But deputy commissioners and district police high officials would be engaged to help the gas companies in this regard.