Oil companies to be automated within 3yrs: Nasrul

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has asked the authorities of all three state oil companies to make automation work faster aimed to ensuring better services and reducing wastage.

“We hope that automation activities of oil companies will be done within next three years. If all activities can be done according to the schedule, quick success will be achieved. We have to be innovative and communicative for better and improved services,” he said this while visiting Padma, Meghna and Jamuna Oil Company Limited in Chittagong on Wednesday.

The state minister said that automation will reduce pilferage, wastage, time and also cost, which will help the government make Bangladesh a smart country, adding, “Padma Oil Company was established around 154 years ago but it is not up-to-the mark. Modern technologies are being used in other countries like India.”

About Padma Oil Company and its current activities, the state minister asked the authorities to take projects to be smart, as the Power and Energy Ministry will go for paperless and cashless activities, adding, “We must remember automation could help us to curb corruption and ensure accountability.”

Nasrul Hamid said that monitoring of project implementation should be expedited as the project should be completed in time. Earlier, he inspected activities of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) and its proposed projects. The state minister also cross-examined the layout of BPC’s land demarcation.

Later, he visited Meghna Oil Company and Jamuna Oil Company and inspected its activities related to fuel supply, machineries, operations, loading and unloading process and storage of oil tankers.

Nasrul Hamid is now in Chattogram on a three-day official visit.

‘No legal documents, no gas connections’

Meanwhile, State Minister Nasrul on Wednesday also instructed the Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company (KGDCL) authorities not to provide gas connections to any consumer located at designated areas without legal documents, reports BSS.

“We want to connect all consumers based on proper documents and industries would have to set up at the government’s designated areas,” he said this while discussing various issues of the KGDCL.

Nasrul said all the gas consumers will be brought under prepaid meter system, as KGDCL installed 60,000 prepaid meters and installation of another one lakh prepaid meters is underway.

“The government is committed to ensure smooth and improved services to the gas and electricity consumers. We are also taking various initiatives to ensure uninterrupted power and gas supply,” he added.

Mentioning Bailey Road fire incident, that took 46 lives, the state minister warned all his oil and gas companies for taking security measures and ensure fire extinguishers to avoid any untoward situation.   

As part of the government campaign for digitisation, he inaugurated a data centre for prepaid gas metres under the KGDCL.

“With sincere efforts by the energy and mineral resources division, the KGDCL installed 60,000 prepaid gas metres and set up data centre and data recovery centre at its distribution areas,” Nasrul Hamid said.

He said that the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been working relentlessly to ensure energy security in the country, of which his ministry is working to materialise it.

The state run gas company has 6,02,396 consumers and gas pipeline is 3,236 kilometres.

Nasrul Hamid said it is a service-oriented government organisation and committed to provide best services to its consumers.

As part of this, online metre recharge system is also available through bKash and other facilities.

The government has implemented the project aimed at building awareness of consumers about gas usage, capacity building of the management along with reducing monitoring cost.

During the meeting, Petrobangla chairman Janendranath Sarkar, Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation chairman and other officials were present.