Gas distribution company, Titas, is unable to recover dues of around Tk 40 billion. Support from the energy division has proved to be unavailing. The ministry has recently asked for cooperation from the business organisations to recover unpaid bills.

Titas officials say that due to a wide variety of meddling they cannot recover the bills.

State Minister for power, energy and mineral resources, Nasrul Hamid, says: “The government has asked for the cooperation of business communities to recover the Tk 40 billion unpaid bill and they have promised to help.”

Titas says that until July of this year, the amount of unpaid bills is Tk 39.36 billion and the most unpaid ones are from homes without metres which stand at Tk 12.39 billion.

An official from Titas, adds: “I think 80 percent of the subscribers are responsible and pay bills on time; the problem is with the rest and they constitute around 180,000. Getting bills from them is tough and if we press then often there’s intervention from high ups.”

“Recommendations for such subscribers come from so high of authority that we cannot but obey,” he lamented.

The dues at factories are Tk 6.94 billion and there are some which lodged a case at court and paying less. The dues from such factories are around Tk 36.8 billion.

Director (operations) of Titas, Md Kamruzzaman Khan says: “We are trying to recover the dues and letters have been given to big institutions; we have also cut some lines.”