Customer suffering is increasing at Titas
Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited is the country’s largest gas distribution company. According to information provided by Titas, the company supplies gas to about 2.9 million customers through a 13,391.32 km pipeline.
But since the board and managing director of this company are dependent on the board and managing director to resolve most of the customer issues, customer harassment has reached limitless levels. Despite visiting day after day, customers are not able to ensure their service as expected. The opportunity to get quick service from customers is very limited. In this regard, energy experts and concerned officials say that the government’s thinking and reforms regarding Titas have become very urgent.
According to multiple sources, the managing director of Titas has to work from morning to night every day. An average of 100 customers seek an appointment with the MD every day to resolve their problems. This situation is going on day after day. Several senior officials of the company, including Petrebangla, believe that it is necessary to divide Titas into at least three specific parts and hand over all the responsibilities. Otherwise, it is not possible to ensure customer service.
A director of Petrobangla, who did not want to be named, said that although the process of forming three separate companies in Titas to further ensure customer service was started in 2020, it did not happen. Later, three DMDs were given responsibility in Narayanganj, Mymensingh and Gazipur. However, they do not have the authority to solve the problems of residential customers. Any file has to go to the MD and finally to the Titas board. As a result, customers have to wait for days, in some cases even years, to get the desired service. In addition, customers have to be subjected to unlimited harassment for increasing the gas load of industrial factories, restructuring of establishments, new gas connections, reconnection. They have to wait for months after months. He said that Titas’ activities have increased than before. It will expand further in the future. For this, instead of having three separate companies, it should be divided into three zones. In addition, the concerned zones should be given the power to make all kinds of decisions.
Titas Gas’ activities are spread across the greater Dhaka and Mymensingh areas. From Munshiganj to Sherpur, on the other hand from Bhairab to Keraniganj – this activity covers a vast area. Due to various crises including limited manpower, customer service cannot be ensured as expected. Among the gas distribution companies, the areas under Titas have the highest number of illegal connections. These connections are now the cause of Titas’ headache. Despite regular campaigns for the past decade, illegal connections have not practically decreased.
In April this year, a report was submitted by Petrobangla to the Energy Department. The objective was to reduce system losses, prevent theft and waste of gas, and ensure transparency between supply and consumption at the consumer level. Major reforms were also taken to ensure accountability of officials and employees in the gas sector. The report recommended stopping the management of various companies in the traditional manner.
In this regard, the concerned official of Petrobangla said that no one can be held responsible for gas wastage, system losses, and illegal use. As a result, Petrobangla is trying to make such reforms through which the supply, consumption, or system loss-gain of gas in each area can be calculated. Again, the responsibilities of the responsible officials and employees can also be determined. We have submitted a report to the energy department. The work process is underway taking that into consideration.
Energy expert Professor Shamsul Alam told our time, the energy sector has been running through mismanagement for years. I had hoped that the interim government would take the initiative to reform properly. But in reality, it seems that they are also running in the same old trend. It was hoped that the energy advisor would at least sit with those concerned in this sector and create an outline on how to reform it. But in reality, we do not see that. He said, if Titas cannot be divided into three companies, then at least the officials and employees at each level should be brought under accountability. In this regard, decentralization of power is needed. The main goal and objective should be to ensure quick service to customers. Moreover, the development of the country’s industrial factories should be the main goal.
Titas Managing Director Shahnewaz Parvez told our time, we try to ensure service to customers as quickly as possible. However, Titas is a very large area, and the number of customers is also large; as a result, there may be some delay in some cases due to procedural reasons. Regarding the three-part division of Titas, he said, it is a matter for the government to decide.
Some high-ranking officials of Petrobangla believe that the officials and employees of the distribution and transmission companies under Petrobangla are working in a process where there is no real accountability. The gas sector is suffering huge losses due to mediocre work year after year. Gas misuse and theft are becoming permissible in the name of system losses. Apart from this, officials and employees of some sectors are working non-stop, while in some sectors they are not working much year after year. As a result, radical reforms are needed in this sector. Through this, gas consumption will be monitored at every stage. Supply, consumption and revenue collected from each area will be calculated. Officers and employees can be brought to account by determining area-based metering and system losses.
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