Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution PLC has disconnected two industrial gas connections and seized meters at a factory belonging to celebrated Bangladeshi actor and producer Ananta Jalil in Savar.
Titas cited Tk 1.56 crore in outstanding bills and evidence of gas theft via meter tampering, the connection has been cut.
The operation was carried out on Sunday at the factory located in Hemayetpur, Savar. The disconnection was confirmed by Abdul Alim Russell, Manager of the Titas Gas Transmission Vigilance Team.
Titas officials, however, faced a blockade by agitated factory workers while attempting to carry out the disconnection.
In response to the action, Ananta Jalil, CEO of the AJI Group of Industries, admitted his business has been under financial strain since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.
He strongly denied personal responsibility for the irregularities, claiming he had leased out the factory's dyeing sections.
"I leased all the dyeing sections of Polo Composite Knit Industry Limited to a man named Md. Jewel Islam for a five-year term starting May 1st of this year, with the condition that he would pay a monthly profit of Tk 1.20 crore," Jalil stated.
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"He (Jewel) has damaged my reputation by keeping the gas bills unpaid and tampering with the meter. I have filed a case against him at the Savar Model Police Station," Jalil added.
Abdullah Al Mamun, Manager of the Titas Gas Savar Regional Office, confirmed the action, noting that the AJI Group factory has three total connections.
"While the ready-made garment (RMG) section runs on electricity, the textile unit operates on gas. The textile unit's two connections (signal numbers: 338000404 and 838000404) had an outstanding bill of **Tk 1.56 crore**," Mamun explained.
He further confirmed the discovery of gas theft: "When we went to collect the arrears, we found that gas was being stolen. Therefore, the meters were seized."
Mamun clarified that, under Titas regulations, the connection can only be restored upon payment of the accumulated arrears and the penalty for the value of the 'stolen' gas.
He noted that the third gas connection for the RMG section, which is owned by Ananta Jalil and his wife, actress Afia Nusrat Barsha's AB Group, and leased to a Chinese company, currently has its bills paid regularly and was not affected by the disconnection.