State incurs Tk 3.5b loss in phantom energy project

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Shanchita Shitu
Published : 02:30, May 27, 2019 | Updated : 12:39, May 27, 2019

A general view of Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla) office in Dhaka. PHOTO/Google MapsPetrobangla has ordered legal steps to be taken against three former officials for incurring huge losses for Titas Gas.
The three are: former deputy directors general of Titas, Kamal Uddin, Kazi Anwarul Azim and former assistant manager (purchase) Sheikh Md Ejaz.
The accusation against them is that they got a gas pipeline construction project passed based of false information provided to the senior management.
Once the project was passed, they were busy purchasing and did not place any pipeline in reality. Consequently, the government incurred a loss of Tk 3.5 billion.
Of the accused, Kamal Uddin is in retirement and Kazi Anwarul Azim is currently working as deputy director of Refined Natural Gas Company Limited (RPGCL).
Sheik Md Ejaz is not in employment and is living in Australia.
After the aberration was detected, a three member investigation committee was formed led by Petrobangla chairman Md Ayub Khan Chowdhury.
The report found that for the phantom gas line project, the government faced a loss of Tk 3.5 billion.
The report further states that legal measures will be taken against those responsible along with regular cases lodged.
The project, which started in 2010, was supposed to end in September 2015. For six years, equipment was purchased and in the end, since the work was unsatisfactory, the project was shut down.

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