Demand to provide gas to 25,000 consumers

The demand was made at a press conference held at Chittagong Press Club on Monday. Chittagong Gas, Power, Water Consumers’ Alliance (CGPWCA) and KGDCL Contractors’ Welfare Association jointly organised the press meet. While reading out the written statement, Secretary General of CGPWCA Alamgir Nur said 25,000 consumers have been enduing hardships while waiting for gas connections for nearly three years. “The consumers have already sent official applications to the KGDCL authorities for gas connections. However, the authorities have deprived these consumers of the connections without taking any measures in this regard,” Nur alleged. He said: “Leaving consumers, who already filed applications, without gas connections is a clear violation of the government gazette notification published on August 18, 2014. According to the notification, the KGDCL is duty bound to supply one with gas within 15 working days of one’s application. However, these consumers have not yet gotten their connections, which is tantamount to deception.” Nur added: “Contractors have been coming under attack from the consumers due to the unnecessary delay in providing gas connections. As many as 500 contractors and several thousand of their relations are facing hardship as well since the KGDCL shelved the supplying of gas connections.” The KGDCL says it supplies around 250 million cubic feet to consumers against a demand of around 500 million cubic feet per day. KGDCL now supplies gas to 597,662 consumers. Of them, 593,574 connections are household ones while 2,788 and 1,045 connections are commercial and industrial ones, respectively.