United News of Bangladesh

Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution PLC continues its drive to identify and remove illegal gas connections. As part of a regular operation, a mobile court led by executive magistrate Milton Roy from the Energy and Mineral Resources Division conducted an eviction drive on Tuesday in the Jamgora and Itkhola areas of Ashulia, under the jurisdiction of the Jobio-Ashulia regional sales division of Titas Gas, Savar. During the operation, around 500 illegal residential gas burners were disconnected, and 400 meters of pipeline were removed and seized. According to Titas Gas officials, the initiative will save approximately 11,334 cubic feet/hour of gas. Through mobile court proceedings, three commercial entities — Mokka Hotel & Chandpur Restaurant, Madina Hotel, and Gaibandha Hotel — along with two illegal consumers, Abdul Wahab Mir and Humayun, were fined a total of Tk 1.25 lakh, which was collected on the spot. On the same day, another mobile court led by senior assistant commissioner and executive magistrate Nazmul Huda conducted a similar operation under the Jobio-Araihazar regional sales division of Titas Gas in areas including Kalibari Bazar, Satyabandi, and Duptara in Araihazar, Narayanganj, spanning 2.5 kilometers. The operation resulted in the disconnection of around 820 illegal residential gas burners and the seizure of 110 feet of MS pipe, one package burner, and one booster. No fines or arrests could be made in the illegal factory found during the operation, as no responsible individuals were present at the scene. Policeman among 3 detained with Yaba pills in Cox’s Bazar Additionally, under the supervision of the regional revenue branch, Narayanganj, connection disconnection operations were carried out by five special teams in Hossain Nagar, Kashipur, and Fatulla areas of Narayanganj. Due to unpaid gas bills, gas connections were disconnected in three households with six double burners. For using gas in unauthorized extensions, 10 residential connections with a total of 99 double burners were disconnected. Furthermore, due to complete illegal usage without customer signal IDs, 10 illegal gas connections were disconnected, which included 33 double burners.  Titas Gas officials said that from September 2024 to April 15, 2025, a total of 29,617 illegal gas connections have been disconnected, including 230 industrial, 155 commercial, and 29,232 residential connections. Additionally, 67,212 burners have been disconnected, and 144 kilometers of gas pipeline have been removed during this period.

Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution PLC continues its drive against illegal gas connections. As part of its regular operations, a mobile court led by Executive Magistrate Fazle Wahid, Senior Assistant Secretary of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, conducted a raid in the Puran Baushia and Gazaria areas under the Jobi Area-Meghnaghat zone on Tuesday. During the operation, authorities severed an illegal gas connection to a lime factory and seized approximately 20 feet of MS pipe and 150 feet of hose pipe. Officials estimated that removing the illegal connections would save around 12,000 cubic feet of gas per hour, equivalent to Tk 195,725 per day. NBR launches Spot Assessment programme to increase tax net On the same day, a special operation led by the Deputy General Manager of the Regional Vigilance Department-Narayanganj, along with vigilance units from Narayanganj-Sonargaon and Rupganj-Narsingdi, inspected five CNG stations in the Jobi Area-Narsingdi. Among them, A.H.B CNG Filling Station in South Shibmandir, Panchdona, Narsingdi, was found tampering with its captive-run meter. In line with the Gas Marketing Regulations-2014, both gas connections were immediately disconnected.

Bangladesh's State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources has urged the businessmen to stop the use of illegal gas connections. “Whenever we visit a factory, we find that if there is a legal gas connection, there are three more illegal connections bypassing the main one”, he told a seminar at Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) where a good number of leading entrepreneurs representing different sectors including textile and readymade garments were present. “Please stop these illegal gas connections. Your illegal connections actually deprive other industries of getting their right to using gas”, he told the businessmen. He also said,”I don’t want to publish the list of those industries. The Names  of many large and leading industries are there. They are very much influential.” Read more: BGMEA wants illegal gas connections to be snapped The DCCI organised a seminar titled: “Stakeholders’ Dialogue on Energy Strategy: Towards a Predictable Future” with its president Barrister Md Sameer Sattar. Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) president Faruque Hasan, energy expert and Dhaka University Professor Badrul Imam, former FBCCI president Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, Summit Power director Faisal Karim Khan, Pran RFL Group chairman Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, and Foreign Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) president Naser Ezaz Bijoy spoke on the occasion. Making a presentation on the current scenario and the government’s future plan Nasrul said the government is planning to build a land-based LNG terminal at the Matarbari deep sea port within 4 years at a cost of $4 billion. “It will help ensure energy security, especially in the import of gas from abroad. If this land-based terminal is built, there will be no need to remove the terminal to the deep sea during any storm,”he said. Read more: Govt moves to setting power, gas prices based on international market: Nasrul Secondly, large ships will be able to arrive in the port with 18 meter water depth which will reduce the transportation cost, he added. The seminar witnessed a debate between the state minister and Professor Badrul Imam on the issue of gas exploration across the country for finding more gas. Nasrul said that he is confused whether there is no gas in the country or any more gas in the country. Responding to this remarks, Prof Badul Imam said there is nothing to be confused with availability of gas in the country as many international research groups including USGS proved their scientific research and data that still the country has a reserve of between 32 and 42 Trillion Cubic Feet (TCF) of gas. Read more: Petrobangla initiates move to end foreign company’s monopoly in pre-paid gas metering system "Recent finding of gas in Bhola also proves the presence of more gas in the country,”said Dr Imam. Nasrul Hamid also said that the government will not allow industries to be developed without any specific industrial zone to ensure the planned supply of gas and electricity. He said that the government will allow the private sector to come into the energy business so that any enterprise can import gas and supply to any industry with its own choice at their negotiated rate. He reiterated the government plan to set the prices of power, gas and petroleum fuels on the basis of international market price. Read more: No downward adjustment in power, gas tariffs until stability in fuel price: Tawfiq Elahi “We’re working on it to come out of the current trend of subsidy provision for the energy sector,”he said. He, however, said there is no plan of the government to raise gas or power prices before the coming budget.  FICCI president Naser Ezaz Bijoy said transparency is needed to fix the energy prices. Former DCCI president Sabur Khan said the illegal gas consumers should be brought under law. Read more: ACC acquits 5, inc. recent minister's son in illegal gas connections case

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has urged the government to disconnect all illegal gas connections in the country. BGMEA President Faruque Hassan made the call as he met with Md Mahbub Hossain, senior secretary at the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, in the capital Sunday. They discussed the present situation of the apparel industry, especially the current demand and supply of natural gas in the garment and textile industries and future scenarios. Faruque said illegal gas connections deprive the government of a big revenue opportunity and also pose the risk of fire. These connections take a large amount of gas, putting pressure on the mainline, and ultimately cause problems for the legal users, including the industrial sector, he added. Inadequate gas supply and low pressure disrupt industrial production, hurting the export-oriented industries, including garment and textile sectors which have to maintain lead time in shipping goods, Faruque said. He assured the senior secretary of all-out cooperation from the BGMEA to the government in its drive to snap unauthorised gas connections, especially in the industrial zones. BGMEA Vice-President Shahidullah Azim and Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Managing Director Haronur Rashid Mullah were also present at the meeting.