Pashchimanchal Gas Company Limited

Pashchimanchal Gas Company Limited (Bengali: পশ্চিমাঞ্চল গ্যাস কোম্পানী লিমিটেড) is a Bangladesh government owned natural gas company responsible for supplying natural gas in the north-western part of Bangladesh.[1][2]

Pashchimanchal Gas Company Limited
Formation29 November 1999
HeadquartersDhaka, Bangladesh
Region served
Bangladesh
Official language
Bengali
Websitewww.pgcl.org.bd

History

edit

Pashchimanchal Gas Company Limited was established on 29 November 1999 under Petrobangla.[3] The company would distribute natural gas in Rajshahi Division.[4]

In May 2008, the manager of Pashchimanchal Gas Company Limited, Kazi Nowfel Anwar, bought a car with company money and registered it in his name.[5] When the matter came to light the car burned down inside the company garage and the insurance company refused to pay due to the suspicious circumstances of the fire.[5] In 2009, GBB Power Limited was declared a defaulter for not paying the bills of the gas company.[6] The company defaulted again next year.[7]

In 2013, Pashchimanchal Gas Company Limited installed a gas distribution network in Rajshahi by breaking the roads but did not repair the road which left them in a state of disrepair.[8] The city received gas connection in 2012.[9]

Pashchimanchal Gas Company Limited, under managing director Abdul Mannan Patwary, asked for 2.58 billion taka from the government to establish a gas pipeline from Rajshahi to Saidpur.[10] It would be a 150 kilometer pipeline at a cost of 13.59 billion taka and is expected to be completed in December 2023.[11]

Pashchimanchal Gas Company Limited asked for a raise to the price of gas leading Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission to hold a three-day public hearing at the Bangladesh Institute of Administration and Management auditorium.[12] Petrobangla which supplies Pashchimanchal Gas Company Limited and five other gas distributors in Bangladesh also wanted to raise the price of bulk gas.[12] The Ministry of Finance had been pressuring state owned companies to raise their revenue.[12] The companies sought to more than double the gas prices.[13] On 1 May 2022, Pashchimanchal Gas Company Limited stopped natural gas supply in Rajshahi Division for two weeks.[14] Last month gas supplies were shut down during Eid in Bogra due to repair work by Gas Transmission Company Limited.[15][16]

References

edit
  1. ^ Rahman, Asifur; Hasan, Mahmudul (2022-01-17). "Prepaid Gas Meters: Perks aplenty but installation slow". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  2. ^ "Tk300 hike in household gas prices in two phases". Dhaka Tribune. 2017-02-23. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  3. ^ পশ্চিমাঞ্চল গ্যাস কোম্পানী লিমিটেড (পিজিসিএল). pgcl.org.bd. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Pashchimanchal Gas Company Limited (PGCL)". Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Official car registered in PGCL staff's name". The Daily Star. 2008-05-18. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  6. ^ Bilu, Hasibur Rahman (2009-11-17). "GBB Power of Bogra big gas bill defaulter". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  7. ^ Bilu, Hasibur Rahman (2010-04-12). "GBB Power Ltd defaulter again". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  8. ^ Ali, Anwar (2017-10-29). "The fading beauty of Rajshahi city". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  9. ^ "Rajshahi gets gas supply". The Daily Star. 2012-01-31. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  10. ^ "No gas, pipeline abandoned, yet another project". The Business Standard. 2020-11-17. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  11. ^ Asaduzzaman, E. A. M. (2022-04-19). "New gas pipeline ushers in hope for businesses in north". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  12. ^ a b c "Three-day public hearing on gas price hike proposal begins Monday". The Financial Express. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  13. ^ Atik, Faysal (21 January 2022). "Undeterred by rejection of their proposal to hike gas prices, distributors try again". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  14. ^ "No gas supply in Rajshahi division for 48 hours from 10pm on Eid day". The Daily Star. 2022-05-01. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  15. ^ "Water levels rise in 58 rivers, fall in 47". Dhaka Tribune. 2022-07-02. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  16. ^ "No gas for 48 hours in Bogura from Eid night". UNB. Retrieved 2022-07-12.