In Chandpur city, 264 illegal and arrears of gas connections have been disconnected. In a special operation, 264 illegal and arrears gas connections have been disconnected.
According to the investigation, Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Limited has total 23,850 legal customers in Chandpur Sadar, Hajiganj, Shahrasti and Matlab South. There are 206 commercial, 5 CNG, 3 Captic, 1 Power, 2 industrial and some other residential legitimate customers.
Due to the gas crisis, gas connections to residents across the country have been cut off for almost 10 years.
When the common people of Chandpur were suffering from gas crisis due to the closure of new connections, the owners of many multi-storied buildings got gas connections in front of their eyes illegally. There are allegations that they took this illegal gas connection in exchange for money through the collaboration of some contractors and dishonest officials of Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Limited.
Also, some people have taken illegal gas connections by stealing in the dark of night. Due to which the government has been deprived of millions of rupees in revenue. The authorities did not get much benefit from the occasional show of force to disconnect these illegal gas connections.
Finally, the authorities of Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Limited transferred 19 officers and employees of the gas distribution center on the allegation of illegal gas connection in Chandpur.
After that, on May 30, the authorities divided 21 teams including Chandpur, Cumilla, Feni, Noakhali and Laxmipur districts into multiple parts and launched a special operation to disconnect illegal and arrear customers.
So far, 264 gas connections have been disconnected in Chandpur town in this operation. Of these, 6 are commercial gas connections and the remaining 258 are residential gas connections. Of the residential gas connections, 70 were in arrears and the rest were all illegal connections. In just 10 days, the arrears of revenue of around Tk 1.5 crore have been collected from the customers. This special campaign will continue till June 30.
Md. Mahmuduzzaman, Manager (Sales), Engineer, Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Limited, Chandpur, told Chandpur Times that the operation has been underway since May 30. We are exploring the city area first. After that, illegal disconnection operations will be carried out in the upazilas in phases. The operation will take as long as it takes to disconnect illegal connections, even if it is a month.
Meanwhile, illegal customers have been accused of reconnecting after the gas disconnection team left in an ongoing operation in connivance with some of those contractors.
Admitting such allegations, the manager of Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Limited, Chandpur, told Chandpur Times, “We have received allegations that the disconnected connection was reopened after we left.” One such allegation has permanently disconnected a connection. If anyone tries to connect illegally, that gas connection will be permanently disconnected.
Meanwhile, many aggrieved tenant families in Chandpur city have expressed their displeasure and said that those of us who are tenants have come with regular gas bills along with the rent of the landlord’s house. But we did not know that this gas connection of the landlord was illegal. They made money on illegal gas stoves every month. Now we are suffering for the crime of homeowners. However, as a result of such an operation, I have been able to recognize the landlords. Those who have been working for a long time to make money illegally.
However, some of the landlords are saying different things, some contractors and dishonest officials have committed this irregularity due to the negligence of their claim authorities. But we are being punished for their irregularities.
The conscious quarters of the district demanded that this illegal gas disconnection campaign should not be stopped in the middle of the road at various cost of lakhs of rupees.
Correspondent: Asik bin Rahim, June 11,2021