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Clients lose ‘10 percent’ CNG thru’ tampered meters

BSTI not equipped to detect fraud by CNG filling stations

Ersilad Kamol
Compressed natural gas (CNG) filling stations in the country have been short measuring clients up to 10 percent of their purchases, tampering the meters of dispensers and by not installing required cooling mechanisms, alleged engineers of Rupantarito Prakritik Gas Company Limited (RPGCL).
On an average, CNG worth Tk 18,40,000 is stolen daily from the consumers by the authorities of 230 filling stations in the country through this method, while the filling stations get about 2 million cubic metres of natural gas daily from Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited, according to sources in Titas and RPGCL
No action has yet been taken so far against the practice, as Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) does not have the required technical ability to detect tampered meters.
After getting instructions from the Chief Adviser's Office to investigate the wholesale cheating of CNG consumers, BSTI officials are now frantically having meetings widi agencies concerned to find [ out a way to carry out a drive
against meter tampering and standards flouting at CNG filling stations, sources confirmed.
BSTI officials also admitted that they received many complaints of being short measured from con-
sumers.
A high official of BSTI on condition of anonymity told the Daily Star that they are not being ably to take any action against meter
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tampering as the equipment required to detect tampering are not available in the country.
"We've got many complaints that the mass of CNG is not being properly maintained in the volume that is being dispensed from the filling stations. On top of that some stations are tampering the meters for super profit. Considering the issue we are now working to purchase necessary equipment to detect whether the standardised pressure, mass, and volume are being maintained at the stations", the official said.
The official criticised the government saying, "Without any proper planning the government gave permissions to set up CNG filling stations, as a result even after so many years of converting to CNG for powering vehicles in the country, we are still working to find out the ideal standard of measurement and looking for the equipment required to detect meter tampering."
BSTI officials said they will soon launch a drive against meter tampering and flouting of standards by CNG filling stations.
An engineer of RPGCL on condition of anonymity told The Daily Star that a few CNG station owners in collusion with relevant accessories importers tamper the meters at the time of their calibration.
He said, "For converting natural gas into CNG, the required standard pressure is 3,000 pounds per square inch (psi) in the standard temperature of 20 degrees Celsius and .67 standard specific gravity of natural gas. But, during calibration of CNG dispensers the standards are usually not maintained, as a result the mass in the output becomes lesser than the standard.
The volume however remains the same, fooling the consumers. And that's why the same volume of CNG quite often gives different mileages."
He also said he observed that on an average pressure in the dispensers of CNG stations is around 2,500psi, adding, "I've also noticed in a few filling stations that the pressure is even as low as 2,250psi, which create the annoying sound during refilling."
"As almost all through the year the temperature in the country is above 30 degrees Celsius, extra equipment is required to maintain the standard temperature, but the filling station authorities don't bother, resulting in thinning of the mass in higher temperature."
"But, sometimes only the filling stations can't be blamed, as the required natural gas input pressure, which is 15psi for the pipelines from Titas and Baghrabad, is quite often not available," he added.
RPGCL engineers said measuring CNG output in terms of volume has always been difficult, on top of that a lack of proper equipment and oversight is making the matter worse, as a result tampering of meters can go on unhindered.
Sultan, a taxi driver, told the Daily Star, "Once I filled my 60 Litre gas cylinder to the full, which holds 200 units, and after driving from Mugda to Bashabo, my fuel tank meter indicated that 30 units were already used. But, usually it takes only 5 units to go the distance which I travel regularly."
"According to my calculations if I fill my CNG tank from a station where the meter has been tampered, I lose 25 taka per filling," Sultan said.