It is disheartening to note that there are still at least 130 Kms of illegal gas lines remaining to be disconnected though the Energy and Mineral Resources Division had set a target of disconnecting all illegal gas connections in the country by December 31 last year. On top of that, despite the ban on new gas connections to households a section of unscrupulous officials are still providing illegal connections in return for huge amounts of illegal money.
Most of the illegal gas lines are in Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited (TGTDCL) area. As reported by this daily on Monday, there are 125 kilometers of illegal gas lines in the TGTDC area. Reportedly, as of December, last year, Titas had removed 620 kilometers of illegal gas lines.
Drives must be conducted
regularly to disconnect the
illegal gas lines
Allegations are there that a section of officials and employees of Titas has become multi-millionaire providing illegal gas connections during the last five years.
The state-owned gas company does not get any bills against these illegal gas lines. The corrupt officials who provided illegal connections collect the payment. Thus a service system has expanded which is not only illegal but also accountable for the loss of a huge amount of revenue.
As a result, the government is missing a huge amount of revenue from this sector. The authorities concerned including Titas Gas cannot deny their liabilities for this disorder.
Considering all the afore-mentioned points, drives must be conducted regularly to disconnect the illegal gas lines. The government should devise necessary measures to identify those corrupt officials involved in providing illegal gas lines and take stringent action against them. Strong political commitment is needed to disconnect all the illegal gas lines in the country.