Gas connection denied to 57 CNG filling station ventures

An investment of about Tk 300 crore in compressed natural gas filling station business is about to be wasted as the distribution agencies are not providing gas connection to 57 ventures, although the entrepreneurs have imported most of the capital machinery for setting up the stations.

Bangladesh CNG Filling Station and Conversion Workshop Owners' Association leaders along with the 57 entrepreneurs in trouble at a press conference on Monday also alleged that the government discriminated in favour of 52 new CNG filling stations by providing gas connection to them after it had suspended giving new gas connections to commercial consumers.

The government, amid a severe gas crisis, suspended providing new gas connections from July 21, 2009, except to the companies that had already received consent for getting connection from the gas distribution agencies concerned before that date.

The 57 entrepreneurs who are yet to receive gas connection showed the consent papers for giving them gas connection that they had received from the gas distribution and other agencies concerned before July 21, 2009.

Zakir Hossain Nayan, secretary general of the association, said the Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company alone had provided 691 new connections including those given to 52 CNG filling stations since the date of suspension.

He said it required two to three years to complete the formalities for setting up a CNG filling station. 'These companies have received consents from all the agencies concerned and imported capital machinery to set up CNG stations. But, they have been waiting for gas connection for the past few years,' he said.

All the entrepreneurs have become bank loan defaulters over this period and are on the brink of losing the entire capital invested in these ventures, Zakir said.

He called on the government to act rationally by providing the 57 CNG filling stations with gas connection.

He also said that new gas connections, if given to the CNG filling stations, would also reduce the pressure on the existing stations due to high demand for CNG.

Of the 57 filling stations, 39 applied for gas connection to the Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company, six to the Pashchimanchal Gas Company, eight to the Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company, and four to the Karnaphuli Gas Company.

Source : New Age

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