More than 1.5 lakh slum dwellers in danger

Investigative journalism carried out by this newspaper has unearthed the presence of powerful syndicates that are reaping huge monetary benefits by supplying illegal gas and electricity connections to three slums in Dhaka: Chalantika, Korail and Bhasantek. The combined population of these three slums is approximately 1.55 lakh. It is understood that there are 24 syndicates operating in the slums who provide these services, earning Tk 2.88 crore per month, and the illegal proceeds allegedly pay off a section of law enforcers and corrupt officials in Titas and Desco to overlook this activity. The out-of-pocket expenditure for an average family living in the Chalantika slum is between Tk 1,250 and Tk 1,950 for getting electricity and gas connections, which is more than what the average middle-class family pays in legal utility bills.

The government is being deprived of revenue because the connections are illegal. And because the activity is illicit, the power and gas lines are set up in a very shoddy manner, which can and does lead to frequent fires that gut shanties. The last director (operations) of Fire Service and Civil Defence has pointed out to us that two incidents at Korail slum— one in December 2016 and the other in January 2017—gutted some 526 and 4,996 houses respectively. In both instances, firefighters could not contain the fire due to gas explosions.

While the authorities remain in denial mode, many residents have pointed out that this activity is run by a nexus of people who are close to the ruling party and some officials in the utility companies. It is high time the authorities took cognisance of the risks associated with this illegal activity and realised that this sizeable population requires gas on a daily basis. Why not introduce LPG cylinders at more affordable prices so that the slum dwellers can at least cook their food? Because the authorities turn a blind eye to what's happening on the ground, lives are put at risk, the national exchequer is deprived of revenue, and natural gas—which is denied to newly constructed residential apartment blocks—is being thrown away to fatten these syndicates.