Desk Report:

Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company owes about 13 thousand crores of bills to various public and private companies. The collection of gas bills by government companies is often stuck in bureaucratic complications.

On the other hand, many industries are often closed due to an irregular supply of gas. Due to this, the distribution company is not able to show initiative in collecting the gas bill. Power plants are paying bills to gas companies subject to receipt of funds from the ministry. As a result, the gas bill accumulated day by day turned into a huge figure.

According to the source of the Energy Department, Titas has accumulated arrears of Tk 12,788 crore in gas bills with public and private companies. Out of this, about 1800 crore taka have become uncollectible due to various reasons including lawsuits. The amount of outstanding gas bill recoverable is Tk 10 thousand 260 crore.

Sources of the Energy Department have informed that the gas bill deposited with the government customers is Tk 3 thousand 571 crore. Of which Tk 937 crore is owed to the Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB). Tk 1,584 crore to Electric Generation Company (EGCB), tk 47 crore to Converted Natural Gas Company (RPCL),tk 597 crore to fertilizer factories, tk 11 crore to Ashulia and Madhabadi societies of Rural Electrification Board, and tk 394 crore to other government customers.

Apart from this, the gas bill due to seasonal customers is Tk 5 crore. On the other hand, 1 thousand 790 crore tk due to customers under litigation, 1 thousand 740 crore tk due to private customers without litigation. The last total recoverable arrears till December 23 is Tk 10 thousand 998 crores.

When asked about the arrears of this huge amount, a senior official of the Energy Department told the media that usually the bills of one month, in some cases two months, are due in the industries. Gas companies collect industrial gas bills at their convenience. Titas is trying to collect every month’s bill by the scheduled time of the next month. However, government power plants incur a huge gas bill. The power plants are not paying that money regularly. To collect this money, we have to negotiate again at the ministry level.

He said that gas distribution companies, especially Titas, have to pay Petrobangla for regular LNG imports, while the company is in crisis as they are unable to collect gas bills from customers.

When asked about this, Titas Gas Company Managing Director Engineer Harunur Rashid Mollah said that Titas is very active in collecting gas bills. More bills are being collected now than ever before. Attempts are being made to collect the monthly bill within the next month. However, there are many issues

involved in collecting power plant bills. Power plants pay bills subject to receipt of funds from the Ministry.