Cylinder gas for kitchens

It was reported in The Daily Star that the government is considering altering the mode of supply of gas to homes for domestic purposes. The finance minister has been quoted as observing that nowhere in the world is gas supplied directly through pipes into homes for cooking and other domestic purposes. This is incorrect. In North America, where I have lived for over thirty years, gas is supplied for cooking and heating purposes directly through pipes. Gas is supplied in cylinders only for outdoor barbecue grills, used in the summertime for occasional outdoor meals.

Mr. Saifur Rahman's apprehension is that housewives tend to leave their burners on and waste gas by using it for frivolous purposes such as the drying of clothing. This possibility can be easily circumvented by the introduction of gas meters, which are used throughout North America, and this will discourage consumers from the practice of wasting gas.
Syed Hamde Ali, The Nawab Palace, Bogra

The comment (DS 05 Jul) by our finance minister and advisor to the energy ministry that world wide only gas cylinders are used for domestic cooking is not true at all.

In the UK and other EU countries piped gas lines are provided in cities for domestic cooking but are installed with a prepaid meter.

Yes it is true that domestic users in Bangladesh waste gas as nobody's business and it has been going on for ages. Many stoves lit at morning are put off at night and this is pathetic sight for those who realise that the next generation will be deprived of this luxury of cooking. A massive awareness campaign by the government and NGOs to save gas can be beneficial, but is not the answer. Neither closing down the piped gas lines to urban domestic homes nor leaving it at the mercy of cylinder gas suppliers would be good. Prepaid meters for domestic piped gas line users is the only option.
Ziauddin Ahmed, On e-mail