Titas MD Harun allegedly grabbed Tk 450 cr in 3-yr

Staff Correspondent: Gas distribution company Titas is an arena of bribery and corruption. And at the center of these irregularities are some top officials including the managing director (MD) of the company. A large number of senior officials have faced the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) after leaving the institution. Harunur Rashid Mollah has been the MD of Titas for three years. Allegations against him are that he has broken all past records of irregularities and corruption.
Harunur Rashid Mollah was promoted as MD of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited in September 2021. Ever since taking office, allegations of bribery and irregularities have been raised against him one after another. Still, he is contractually appointed as MD of Titas in August 2023 for one year. Nasrul Hamid Bipu, ex-Minister of State for Energy in the Sheikh Hasina government played a major role in his appointment. The link between them is that both their homes are in Keraniganj, Dhaka. Not only that, Harunur Rashid Mollah used to claim in various places that his wife was the sister of Nasrul Hamid’s wife. However, after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, Harunur Rashid became a BNP supporter overnight. It is known that he is trying to renew the contract for the MD post of Titas by lobbying two such leaders of Bari-BNP in Keraniganj.
Titas officials are worried about Harunur Rashid Mollah’s attempt to renew his contract. They say that Harunur Rashid has repeatedly been exempted by irregularities and corruption because he is close to the State Minister for Energy Nasrul Hamid of the Awami League government. Under the umbrella of the former state minister, he traded gas connections, new gas connections and illegal connections in captive
power without taking the permission of the ministry. With specific allegations of irregularities and corruption, Nasrul Hamid and other important people of the government have demanded an investigation against him many times. But there was no investigation conducted. In this bribery-corruption syndicate of Titas Gas, the company’s MD Harunur Rashid is with Titas General Manager Aparna Islam, General Manager Md. Lutful Haider Masum, General Manager Hasan Ahmed and General Manager Md. Salim Mia. Other officers and employees of Titas are under fire due to the violence of these influential officials.
Harunur Rashid Mollah of Titas told, “What I have done I have done by following proper rules,” when contacted on Saturday to inquire about these allegations. Nothing has been done in violation of the law.
As many irregularities as Titas MD
The biggest allegation is against Titas MD Harunur Rashid Mollah, who took bribes of at least Tk 450 crore by giving new gas connections and increasing load to at least 150 companies. The bribe rate was Tk 3 crore to Tk 5 crore for each connection and load increase. He is also alleged to have given at least 1,250 illegal gas connections during his tenure. The syndicate led by him takes huge amount of money every month from these illegal connections.
Officials of Titas say that any gas distribution company in the country wants to supply gas to a captive power plant of more than 10 megawatts, for this it needs permission from the Department of Energy and Mineral Resources. Harun, the current MD of Titas, has given gas connections to at least 20 captive power plants-more than 10 MW-of which none has been granted permission. Tk 3 crore to Tk 5 crores have been collected from each captive center supplying gas without permission from the Department of Energy and Mineral Resources. In several cases, Titas MD has broken 10 MW into multiple loads. The permission of the ministry has been tactfully avoided. Apart from this, at least 100 captive centers have been given gas connections in exchange of bribes.
Investigations revealed that Titas had given gas connection to 24.92 MW captives with three separate customer signal numbers at NR Group’s factory at Jamirdia in Bhaluka, Mymensingh. Out of this, 16.25 MW is given to NRG Spinning Mills, 3.87 MW to NRG Composite Yarn Dyne and 4.80 MW to NRG Knit Composite. These three institutions have the same address. Apart from this, 7.78 MW captive power plant connection has been approved in the name of NRG Hometex in the same factory. Those concerned said that 16 captive connections were given in the 881st board meeting of Titas Gas in April 2022. These were a combination of bribery and lobbying.
In September last year, Gazipur’s Silver Textile Mill applied for gas connection to the Minister of State for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources. There was no recommendation of the Energy Minister (then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina) in that application. However, MD Harun instructed the Gazipur office of Titas to bring the application file to Dhaka. It is said there, it is the energy minister’s advocacy. It was then that Silver Textile Mills got connected.
After seeing such instructions in the name of the Prime Minister, a letter was sent to the Secretary of the Energy Department from the Prime Minister’s Office on August 29 last year. The letter directed to inform the Prime Minister’s Office about the arrangements for providing gas connections to industrial establishments through bribes using the Prime Minister’s name. But this letter is the end of the incident. This incident was not prosecuted.
The investigation further revealed that Meghna Group’s Everest Power Generation was running an additional load of 8 MW. For this the line is cut. Later, without the approval of the Titas board, the connection was made again with a bribe of Tk 3 crore. Apart from this, connection was disconnected due to illegal or theft of gas by meter tampering in Rupali Dying. Again, the connection was given that night with a bribe.
Gas connection at CNG station without following rules
The government decided to reduce the number of new CNG station permits due to dwindling domestic gas reserves. Due to this announcement, new gas connections to CNG stations were stopped. But even though the top was closed, the gas connection work was going on inside. A license from Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) is mandatory for gas connection at CNG stations. Harun, MD of Titas Gas, has given new gas connections one after another despite not having this license.
Titus sources say that there are 40 unlicensed CNG stations in Dhaka. Apart from this, Titus has a total of 79 unlicensed gas connections including 15 in Narayanganj, 10 in Narsingdi, 10 in Gazipur, 2 in Munshiganj. It is alleged that the MD of Titas took a bribe of Tk 50 lakh from each of them.
If you don’t pay bribe, the legitimate line is closed
Another allegation against Titas MD Harun is that he takes fixed amount of fees from every industrial connection and CNG station every month. This feesis to be paid on both valid and invalid lines. Those who refuse to pay monthly fees, their legitimate lines are also closed with various beatings. As a result, there are instances of closure of manufacturing industries as well. Many entrepreneurs have gone bankrupt.
Titas officials said, Titas closed a legitimate gas connection named Ayman Textile and Hosiery Limited for non-payment of bribe. The company got gas after three years with the court’s verdict. But on that day, the red light of their business was lit. Titas Gas was informed on February 22, 2020 when the EVC meter of Badar Spinning Mills in Mauna area of Gazipur was faulty. After four months, people from Titas Gas came to the factory. After six months also the EVC conducted meter tests. Then Titas Gas sent a huge bill. Because, the owners of this institution did not want to pay bribe.
Recruitment scam
Those who are recruited through outsourcing to Titas, their educational qualification should be minimum SSC pass. But 71 people have been appointed in Titas, whose educational qualification is class VIII, that certificate is also rubbed. Again, the age limit has crossed 60 years – there are 8 people.
Regarding these bribery-corruptions in Titas, Energy Advisor of Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Professor M Shamsul Alam said that every institution in the energy sector is an arena of bribery-corruption. Among them, Titas is the greatest corruptor. This interim government needs to send a message that the consequences of being involved in bribery and corruption will be dire. This has not been seen so far.