Corrupt officials of Titas Gas getting more reckless

Reza Mahmud :
A large number of Titas Gas officials become reckless as the authorities are yet to take strict action against them thought they are involved in a range of corruption for long.
 In league with certain dishonest industrials, these officials have been taking away with huge amounts of public funds, sources said.
Titas Gas is a company under Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Minerals Corporation (Petrobangla).
The corrupt syndicate within the organisation targeted the different industrial zone, in and near Dhaka, for their bribes.
These corrupt officials have earned crores of taka by selling gas to a huge number of unlicensed CNG refueling stations.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has identified 22 sources of possible corruption at Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Co Ltd.
The corrupt Titas officials in Gazipur, Savar, Bhaluka and Narayanganj used a group of middlemen to collect and deliver the bribes.
The anti-graft body also submitted an investigative and observational report to the state minister for power, energy and mineral resources mentioning the possible corruption sources, illegal connection, illegal link renegotiation, meter tampering, excessive gas connection to boilers and generators, system loss, negligence to install EVC (Electronic Volume Corrector) are among the corruption sources as per the ACC report. Titas’ corruption has reached such a height that, at a meeting of Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) in recent time, anger and frustration were expressed.
Not all businessmen, after all, were involved in this corruption.
In a previous investigation of Petrobangla, it was revealed that a certain industrial unit had taken over Tk 75 crore worth of gas, but has not paid the amount so far despite repeated reminders. With so many persons involved in the corruption, it is not easy to recover such dues.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) summoned eight Titas officials including its managing director. Petrobangla, however, has taken no action against these officers. The energy and mineral resources secretary has said, “The thieves in Titas are always stealing. But they haven’t been caught red-handed so we are unable to do anything.”
Officials also said that the ACC officials collected information after discussion with Titas Gas
Company’s retired officers, working officers and other concerned persons.
At a cabinet meeting it was decided in principle that no government official could be arrested before a charge sheet is produced. We demand that this decision be revoked.
Legal action must immediately be taken against the corrupt Titas Gas officials.
Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) sent letters eight times to the Titas authority but no response have been found. Besides, ignoring BERC the Titas gas has increased monthly rate of prepaid meters from Tk 60 to Tk 100.
Md. Maqbul-E-Elahi Chowdhury, Member BERC, told journalists that there is no scope of selling gas to any unlicensed CNG stations as per the remaining laws.
But more than hundreds CNG stations are doing business illegally.
When contacted, Titas Managing Director Harunur Rashid Mollah told The New Nation, “We have sent letters to those unlicensed CNG stations. If they failed to take license within 10 days, the connections will be snapped.” He said also that Titas also sent letters to those illegal stations eight times since 2014.