Storing gas in balloons: Illegal line disconnected in Rupganj

An illegal gas connection through which people stored cooking gas in large balloons in Rupganj upazila of Narayanganj was disconnected today during a drive jointly conducted by upazila administration Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited and police.

The move came a day after this newspaper ran a report on the risky practice with the headline "A dangerous 'Solution'".

During the drive, a mobile court fined three people for the illegal connection obtained, reports our Narayanganj correspondent.

The Daily Star on Sunday published news that people in 15 villages of Rupganj have been using this dangerous technique using large balloons to preserve gas for around six months.

"We conducted the drive at Koyetpara village of the upazila but the people of the village already removed the balloons which stored gas, therefore, we could not detain anyone from there," Engineer Md Misbaur Rahman, manager of Sonargaon Titas Gas Zonal Distribution office, told The Daily Star.

However, three people were fined Tk3,000 each, as their houses had illegal gas connections, he said.

"We do not know who gave the illegal gas connection. But we are trying to find out the persons responsible and will take legal action against them," said Misbaur.

Titas Gas MD Ali Iqbal Mohammad Nurullah, Executive Magistrate and Rupganj Upazila NIrbahi Officer Shah Nusrat Jahan and Assistant Commissioner (Land) of Rupganj Afifa Khan were present during the drive, among others.

Read more: A dangerous 'Solution'