A move is underway to install 120,000 more prepaid gas meters in the city by Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd.
According to official sources, a revised development project profile (RDPP) was sent by Titas Gas to the Planning Commission through Energy and Mineral Resources Division to install the gas meters with the unspent fund of Japanese donor agency JICA, UNB reported.
“Once we receive the approval to the RDPP from the executive committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), we will proceed to install the projects in 7 more areas in Dhaka city under an existing project”, said Faizur Rahman, project director of prepaid metering project of Titas Gas.
He said under an existing project, so far 200,000 prepaid gas meters have been installed in 26 areas in the city.
“The same Japanese contractor will do the job under a variation order,” he told UNB.
He also noted that installation of these new meters will be started within this year and completed by June 2022.
Official sources said the areas where the new prepaid meters are going to be installed for household consumers include Paltan, Ramna, New Market, Khilgaon and Segunbagicha which are mainly located in the central part of the city under the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
Under the existing project, prepaid meters have been installed in 26 areas mainly under Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) including Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara, Bashundhara, Badda, Tejgaon, Cantonment, Kafrul, Khilkhet, Uttara, and Mirpur.
Many consumers of these areas said they have been getting benefit of the prepaid gas meters as they now pay less than one-third of the amount which they had paid under non-metering system monthly.
As per official data from Titas Gas, the company has about 2.783 million consumers in its command area, of which 2.764 million are household consumers.
The Titas Gas authority took up the prepaid gas metering project mainly to check gas pilferage as there is widespread allegation that there is huge illegal gas connection across the city.
“Even, some illegal consumers pilfer gas through different ways. They use one connection to use gas in so many unapproved ovens”, said a top Titas official adding that prepaid meters will check this problem.
Titas Gas started installing prepaid gas meters in some areas of Dhaka in September 2017 under a JICA-funded project. The project was supposed to be completed by December 2018 but the installation has been completed recently.
Officials said existing Japanese contractor Toyokeiki Co Ltd, which supplied and installed the previous 200,000 meters, will get the job of installation of additional 120,000 meters under the same terms and conditions, and prices.
Titas Gas officials said Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) which funded Tk 7.52 billion (752 crore) for the existing project has mobilised fund from the unspent money from its four ongoing projects in the country’s energy sector.
