57,000 illegal gas lines disconnected in Narayanganj, Munshiganj
Around 65 kilometres of illegal pipelines were also removed during drives conducted by Titas Gas throughout this month
The Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd – Bangladesh's largest natural gas distributor – has disconnected 57,000 illegal gas lines this month after carrying out special inspections in different upazilas of Narayanganj and Munshiganj.
Around 65 kilometres of illegal pipelines were also removed during these drives, the company's Managing Director Engineer Ali Iqbal Md Nurullah told The Business Standard, adding that the lines were used to consume gas worth Tk10 crore every day.
He continued, "As per the directive of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, we have a firm goal to disconnect every illegal gas connection we can find. The drive will continue in the coming days to protect the state's revenue.
"The government is importing Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from abroad at a high cost to meet the energy demand, and this energy must never be used illegally."
Nurullah also mentioned that the areas where Titas gas conducted their recent drives still have double the number of illegal connections compared to the disconnected ones.
The gas distribution company has been regularly conducting drives against illegal gas connections. In the Fiscal Year 2019-20, Titas Gas conducted 123 drives in its coverage area and disconnected 1.65 lakh illegal connections, its annual report says.
It supplies piped gas to the greater Dhaka and Mymensingh divisions, and currently has around 28.74 lakh consumers.