The Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Ltd (KGDCL) severed a total of 1,227 illegal gas connections, and realised around Tk 23 crore as arrears and fines from the offenders in the city, in the last one and a half months.
The gas connections were severed on charges of using gas illegally, and bill arrears.
The severed illegal gas connection includes 1,167 residential, 48 commercial, 11 industrial, and a CNG refueling station.
Confirming the matter to the Dhaka Tribune, Engineer Sarwar Hossain, General Manager (Engineering Services) of the KGDCL said that a total 16 special teams are now working in the city to identify and sever illegal gas connections.
“We have launched a crackdown on illegal gas connections on September 6, which will end on November 6. No tolerance will be shown to illegal users, and the drives against illegal gas use will be intensified further,” said the KGDCL official.
As per Bangladesh Gas Act-2010, an illegal gas user can be penalized with three months to one year imprisonment and fines ranging from Tk 10,000 to Tk 5 lakh.
The KGDCL is now supplying gas to a total of 5,97,662 consumers. Of them, as many as 5,93,574 connections are household ones while 2,788 and 1045 gas line connections are commercial and industrial respectively.