Illegal gas for household stoves, factories struggle to keep production running

Tongi (Gazipur) Correspondent

While illegal gas connections are widespread in residential areas of Gazipur, industries are facing a severe gas shortage. In some areas, gas pressure is so low that machines cannot operate, while dyeing units are being forced to shut down. To keep production running, industrialists are relying on diesel-powered generators. This is increasing production costs, putting export orders at risk and raising concerns about losing competitiveness.

The gas shortage has affected industrial areas in Tongi, Gacha, Konabari, Kashimpur, Board Bazar, Pubail, Kaliakair and Sreepur. Industry insiders say gas-based production cannot be maintained normally because the required pressure is unavailable for much of the day. Textile, dyeing, knitting and garment factories are particularly affected.

According to Industrial Police data, Gazipur has 2,176 registered industrial units, including 1,187 garment factories. Recently, the dyeing sections of at least 17 factories have reportedly remained closed due to the gas shortage. A garment factory that normally produces around 50,000 units is reportedly producing only 30,000–35,000 due to gas and power shortages. Entrepreneurs are having to spend hundreds of thousands of taka on generators to maintain production.

The impact of the gas shortage is not limited to reduced production; it is affecting the entire industrial supply chain. As dyeing and finishing units fail to operate on schedule, garment manufacturers are also facing production disruptions. Entrepreneurs fear that failing to deliver export orders on time could undermine the confidence of foreign buyers.

Meanwhile, the issue of illegal gas connections in various residential areas of Gazipur has resurfaced amid the crisis in industrial zones. Despite Titas Gas drives disconnecting illegal connections at different times, there have also been instances of the connections being restored.

A legal gas customer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “It is painful that we have to go to the bank and stand in line to pay our bills despite the gas crisis, while illegal users keep their stoves running by managing officials at the offices. What more can I say? Fourteen illegal double-burner stoves are reportedly operating at the house of a drug dealer named Jamela in the Board Bazar area. Complaints to the Titas office have yielded no results. Hundreds of houses like Jamela’s continue to have gas-fired stoves.”

There are also allegations that illegal connections are being provided through underground pipelines in various parts of Gazipur. According to local residents, a network has been providing such connections through influential local figures and brokers, allegedly in collusion with some dishonest officials and employees.

Illegal gas use is also causing the government to lose revenue. Moreover, substandard pipes, unsafe connections and uncontrolled lines pose a serious risk of accidents. Local residents therefore called for not only disconnecting illegal connections but also identifying and taking action against the network behind them.

Several industrial entrepreneurs in Gazipur said production costs would rise further if the gas crisis continues. The shortage could have a particularly negative impact on export-oriented garment and textile industries. Reduced production due to the energy crisis could also affect workers’ working hours and incomes.

According to stakeholders, it is essential to publish accurate figures on Gazipur’s actual gas demand and supply to address the situation. They also called for preparing a list of illegal residential connections, conducting regular drives, identifying the networks providing illegal connections and ensuring adequate gas pressure in industrial areas.

They further said Gazipur is not only one of the country’s largest industrial zones but also an important hub of the garment and textile export economy. If the contrast between illegal gas use in residential households and shortages at industrial production facilities continues, the entire economy could eventually have to bear the cost.