Prepaid gas meters put into operation

The government yesterday formally inaugurated prepaid gas meters for the residential consumers of the capital's Lalmatia and Mohammadpur areas in a bid to reduce wastage of the utility as part of its key plan to ease gas crisis.
Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, energy adviser to the prime minister, opened a gas meter with a smart-card at a ceremony in Lalmatia.
Under a pilot project, state-run Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd has installed 4,500 prepaid meters in the two areas since May last year at a cost of Tk 6.7 crore from its own resources.
Titas is now in talks with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to install another 8,500 prepaid meters in the city.
Md Abdul Aziz Khan, managing director of Titas, said the current price of gas for households using a double burner allows the users to burn 87 cubic metre of gas a month at the cost of Tk 450.
"But we have found that 37 percent of the users under the pilot project are consuming 158 cubic metre of gas a month, while the rest are using less than 87 cubic metre," he added.
The price of gas per cubic metre is Tk 5.16.
The Institute of Information and Communication Technology (IICT) under Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) has developed the meters that cost Tk 5,800 each.
"We have received positive response from the customers. They do not have any significant complaints," said the Titas MD. "The prepaid system will help avoid wastage of the valuable energy and cut complications over realising due bills."
Khan said Titas plans to install 3 lakh meters at a cost of Tk 350 crore in the next 2 to 3 years. "We are also holding talks with the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the ADB for another 3 lakh prepaid meters."
Titas has now over 15.60 lakh customers.
Bangladesh has to opt for the prepaid meters amid reports of widespread wastage of natural gas at the household level.
The country's gas reserve is drying up fast. Bangladesh now faces a shortfall of 500 million cubic feet of gas a day (mmcfd) against the demand of over 2,500 mmcfd, according to the state-run Petrobangla.
Engineer Mujba Alif, a resident of Lalmatia, who has set up the new gas meters, said the initiative would help users consume less gas, freeing up the utility for others in the country.
Energy Secretary Mohammad Mejbahuddin said the country's energy sector is going through a transformation. "There is a gap in demand and supply. We can save a huge amount of gas by improving our demand-side management."
He said Bangladesh would be able to save one-third of its gas if measures aimed at stopping wastage are taken.
IICT Director Prof Dr S M Lutful Kabir hoped that the metering system would help cut wastage and generate more revenues.
State Minister for Power and Energy Muhammad Enamul Huq said if gas can be saved, it could be supplied to many others.
Mentioning that 30 to 40 percent gas is lost during transmission and distribution, BUET Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr S M Nazrul Islam said, “It is not acceptable when the reserve is decreasing.”
Jahangir Kabir Nanak, state minister for LGRD, suggested that the government implement prepaid metering in water supply too, so that possible future crisis can be avoided.
Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury urged the IICT to add a feature to the meter so that people can recharge from home.
He said the government plans to roll out initiative to bring all of the Titas customers under the system. "I personally think that it will take three to four years."
The adviser also defended Titas's decision to charge Tk 50 a meter every month as rent.
Titas will require Tk 2,500 crore to provide meters to all of its customers, said Petrobangla Chairman Prof Md Hossain Monsur, who presided over the ceremony.
He said the meters would allow the low-income group use less gas and thus save money.
Monsur also said they would be ready to supply gas to Rajshahi from January 20 this year.