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Titas Gas to abolish posts of meter readers, supervisors

New organogram drafted to curb rampant graft

KailashSarkar
A new organogram for Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Ltd has been prepared abolishing about 200 posts of meter readers and supervisors following discov-ery of large-scale corruption in the organisation.
The new organogram proposes 3.481-strong staff for Titas instead of previous 3,622, curtailing the number by 141.
Sources said the posts of meter readers and supervisors would be
eliminated for their involvement in corruption and with a view to curbing further graft. Instead, engineers would be tasked with the meter-reading job.
A committee comprising existing and former officials of Titas has prepared the draft organogram with assistance from the Taskforce members and a number ofexperts.
Committee sources said they would submit the draft to the government for approval very soon,
Titas high-ups and theTaskforce sources said the proposed draft
suggests appointment of more technical staff reducing the size of general section.
Besides, it has also proposed to reduce the number of luxurious yehicles and increase vehicles for the utility services.
The sources said the Taskforce set up at the Titas Gas building has identified problems in the existing organogram and the staff involved in massive corruption. Following the Taskforce's recommendations and advice, the authorities have decided to bring changes to the
organogram
According to the sources, the committee has suggested doing away with number of meter readers and supervisors who appeared to be the most corrupt officials.
Currently, Titas has 80 meter readersand 125 supervisors.
According to the new organogram, Titas engineers and officials would read meters and newly appointed contractors would carry out the duties of supervisors.
The proposed organogram suggests reducing luxury vehicles for officials to around 60 instead of the existing 105. Besides, it also suggests increasing vehicles for the utility services to over 150 instead of the existing 108.
The draft committee and Taskforce sources said Titas was earlier over staffed and they have suggested axing 141 of them.
They express the hope that if the government approves the proposed organogram, corruption in Titas would be checked and transparency established. Besides, customer service would be better and speedy.
Titas sources said 80 meter readers were appointed in 1987 and since then no-one else joined the existing force.
Meanwhile, Titas as part of a cleaning operation has transferred all the meter readers to other sectors and tasked engineers with their job.
Fuadul Islam, general manager (planning) of Titas, yesterday told The Daily Star: "The engineers have been carrying out the meter reading job in the
industrial areas and other staff in the commercial areas."
On the proposed organogram, he said: "It's still at an initial stage as it has to be approved by the government."
The army-backed caretaker government after assuming power set up taskforces at various government organisations to chcckcorruption.
The Taskforce set up at Titas unearthed incredibly high corruption and found several hundred staff became millionaires through graft.
Titas' 117 staff admitted corruption and refunded their illegally amassed property worth Tk 350 crore. They have also promised they would never commit such corruption in future.
Besides, the Taskforce sent a list of 68 staff to the AntiCorruption Commission (ACC) for filing cases against them. Of them, a former sales assistant who used to drawTk 4,000 salary a month amassedTk 2,100 crore.
Over 600 staff of Titas have meanwhile been transferred in phases following recommendations of theTaskforce.