Titas charging Tk200 monthly from January to adjust cost of each meter

The Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company has decided to charge consumers Tk200 monthly from January to adjust the costs of running and maintaining each meter.

In a clarification on Monday (29 January), the company said, "After the pre-paid meter charge of Titas Gas was recently hiked to Tk200 [from the previous Tk100 charge], there has been some confusion among consumers. 

"Considering the life of each pre-paid meter is 10 years, and its cost, installation, web system, meter and server maintenance charges, the cost of each meter is more or less Tk25,000."

Titas Gas Company has purchased all these meters by taking loans, the statement reads. 

"The service is being adjusted by collecting monthly charges for the convenience of consumers, rather than taking the total cost of the meter altogether," said Titas.

According to the recent decision of the government, the monthly charge of residential pre-paid meter of all gas distribution companies under Petrobangla has been set at Tk200, effective from January, it added.

"For the convenience of consumers, the government has fixed the price of residential gas at Tk18 per cubic metre only," according to Titas.

But in 2023, the combined price of gas produced in the country and imported LNG was much higher than Tk18 per cubic metre on average, it said.

"That is, the government has to pay a subsidy against every cubic metre of gas in the residential sector. 

"Therefore, the increase in gas prices in the residential sector is inevitable," said Titas.