Chattogram has used more gas than LNG in the last financial year. Karnaphuli Gas Company in Chattogram has sold gas worth Tk 4 thousand 790 crore 8 lakh in the last financial year. It made a profit of Tk 1 thousand 639 crore. Tk 859 crores deposited in the state treasury. And Tk 1 thousand 154 crores has been collected for arrears.
According to KGDCL sources, the consumption of gas in the industrial and commercial sectors of Chattogram is increasing. But due to gas crisis, supply is not being given in proportion to demand. At present the demand of existing connections and pending connections is about 450 million cubic feet of gas per day. Half of the demand gas is being supplied to Chattogram.
If gas is fully supplied, the current revenue would be double. In the last fiscal year 2021-22 i.e. up to last June, the target of gas sales was 3 thousand 157 million cubic meters. 3095.86 million cubic meters of gas were sold. Gas worth Tk 4,790 crore was sold in the last financial year. Most of the gas was sold to fertilizer factories. Gas worth Tk 2024.77 crore has been sold in this sector. Tk 580 crore 26 lakh were sold in the industrial sector. Privately owned industries have captive power for their own power generation. Tk 732 crore 32 lakhs of gas sold in captive power sector. Tk 673 crores 95 lakhs of gas sold in the residential sector. Gas sold at CNG filling stations worth Tk 470 crore 73 lakh. Due to gas shortage, gas-fired power plants were shut down for most of the year. As a result, gas has been sold in the electricity sector for Tk 232 crores and 37 lakhs.
In the last financial year, the company purchased 3062.22 million cubic meters of gas. Of this, 10.18 million cubic meters from government-owned gas fields and 3052.04 million cubic meters of gas from LNG.
It is known that since 2015, new gas connection has been stopped in the residential sector. As a result, 16 new connections have been provided to educational institutions, 16 to industrial sector, 4 to captive power sector, 3 to commercial sector this year. Karnaphuli Gas Company has a total of 6 lakh 1 thousand 703 connections.
KGDCL said that to stop the theft of supplied gas, the program of bringing all the customers of the company under prepaid meters has been taken. Prepaid meters will be installed in 4 lakh 35 thousand residential connections. Currently, 60 thousand residential customers have been brought under prepaid meters in the first phase. It has saved gas as well as stopped theft. This has benefited both the customer and the company. Now in the second phase, the program to bring 1 lakh more customers under the prepaid meter has been started
1 thousand 878 connections were disconnected for arrears during the last financial year. And 92 illegal connections were disconnected. Against that, 1 thousand 559 were re-connected.
However, there are allegations that gas is being stolen in various sectors through illegal connections in the city. More gas is being stolen through illegal connections in the residential sector. But to that extent illegal connections have not been raided. More gas thefts could have been detected if effective raids had been carried out.
