Employees of Gas Transmission Company Limited (GTCL) on Wednesday demanded removal of the Chairman of Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources Corporation (Petrobangla) Zanendra Nath Sarkar accusing him of corruption, misuse of power and autocratic behaviour.
They made this demand from a human chain held on the premises of GTCL.
They alleged that the Ptrobangla chairman has unlawfully imposed the burden of system losses and theft of gas on GTCL, pushing the company, which had been profitable for 29 years, into severe financial distress.
According to the GTCL officials and employees, GTCL faced a financial loss of Tk 1,212.33 crore in the fiscal year 2022-23, with the loss continuing into the current fiscal year, threatening the existence of the state-owned enterprise.
Energy experts argued that there is no opportunity for gas theft or wastage in GTCL’s high-pressure transmission lines and that the responsibility for system losses should be distributed among other distribution companies based on decision of the Energy Division that was made in 2008.
The Petrobangla chairman allegedly ignored these expert opinions and, bypassing ministry decisions, placed the bulk of the system losses on GTCL starting January 1, 2023.
The situation escalated on August 19, 2024 when GTCL officials began protesting with three main demands: the immediate removal of Zanendra Nath Sarkar, halting the imposition of system losses on GTCL, and revising the discriminatory organizational structure imposed on the company.
Despite a temporary suspension of the system loss decision following an August 19 meeting, Zanendra Nath allegedly made false statements during a follow-up meeting on September 1, causing further outrage among GTCL employees.
In addition to financial mismanagement, the protesters accused Zanendra of tampering with an organizational structure (org chart) approved by GTCL’s Board of Directors in July 2022. This arbitrary revision reduced technical and administrative positions by up to 55 percent, creating chaos in the company’s operations. Employees claimed this restructuring was done without considering the expanding workload and career planning for GTCL’s workforce.
GTCL employees and unions are calling for immediate government intervention to remove Zanendra from his position, citing his despotic mismanagement and reckless decision-making that are putting the entire national gas grid at risk.
The employees demand that:
1. Zanendra Nath Sarkar be removed immediately from his position as Petrobangla Chairman.
2. The unjust imposition of system losses on GTCL be reversed.
3. The discriminatory organizational structure imposed on GTCL be rectified immediately.
