The much talked-about sudden surge in gas prices in Chongqing has finally elicited a response from the local government.
On April 19, a press conference on the gas investigation in Chongqing was held. The official report stated that it has been found that Chongqing Gas Group and other gas companies have overcharged some citizens, as reported by the public. They have been ordered to make full refunds. The superior organization of Chongqing Gas Group has decided to remove Che Dechen, the Party Secretary and General Manager of Chongqing Gas Group from his position.
The report also mentioned that the issues of overcharging by Chongqing Gas Group mainly manifested in six aspects: incorrect copying and illegal estimation, chaotic gas billing cycles, inadequate implementation of pricing policies, disorganized replacement work, severe lack of work force, and inadequate internal supervision within the company. However, the investigation team did not find any issues regarding gas metering and quality, gas quality, or manipulation of gas metering through remote operation.
Firstly, frequent shoppers at malls know the common practice of “stealing one, penalize ten”. However, considering the situation disclosed in the report alone, some of the instances are not just stealing, but outright looting. How can simply mandating full refunds suffice? They should be required to refund three times the amount, followed by a tenfold heavy penalty, to serve as a deterrent.
Only refunding the overcharged amount without imposing fines on Chongqing Gas Company seems like a fraudulent act. According to consumer rights protection laws, triple compensation should be paid. Just providing a full refund is not enough.
Secondly, making such serious mistakes in livelihood issues amounts to illegal misconduct and crime. Is it sufficient to just remove Che Dechen from his position at Chongqing Gas Group for these actions? He should face legal sanctions.
Thirdly, when you make a purchase outside and are charged extra, the seller usually apologizes. In the case of the large-scale overcharging by Chongqing Gas Group, the official response is only to refund the money and remove the top executive, without even an apology.
Fourthly, and most importantly, while the official report details a long list of issues, it appears to be avoiding the critical problems. Many Chongqing residents have reported that after replacing their gas meters, the digits run abnormally fast, even surpassing airplane speeds. Some residents have revealed that despite not using gas at home or gas supply being cut off in their community, the gas meter continues to run. However, the official statement claims the investigation did not find any problems with gas metering and quality, gas quality, or manipulation of gas metering through remote operation. How can these phenomena be explained? The official investigation did not provide a direct response or sufficient explanation. Upon careful comparison, none of these incidents seem to relate to the six major issues announced by the authorities. Evidently, the officials are evading the real issues. The public has reason to question: do problems with gas metering and quality truly not exist through remote operation manipulation?
Furthermore, the official statement mentions many issues within Chongqing Gas Company, such as understaffing, errors in recording and estimation, organizational chaos, and inadequate policy implementation. Yet, all the wordings deliberately or inadvertently avoid the term “intentional”.
In short, these are objective helplessness and lack intent.
In the fourth quarter of 2023, Chongqing Gas saw a mere 0.69% increase in gas sales volume, yet a staggering 824% surge in net profit for the same period. With insufficient manpower and chaotic management, can these factors really lead to a massive increase in profit? Do you believe it?
If chaotic management can cause a significant rise in profits, what motivation do managers have to rectify this chaos? If they don’t correct it, isn’t it intentional?
The sharp rise in gas fees in Chongqing is undoubtedly related to the mismanagement of the gas company, but the key issue lies elsewhere. It is highly probable that the gas company is purposefully exploiting its technical advantage and information monopoly to exploit the common people. If this is the case, it is blatant criminal behavior. Would the authorities dare to disclose such a truth? Of course, they wouldn’t. Hence, they focus on making significant improvements in management, downplaying critical issues to confuse the public and cover up the real truth to placate public anger and hide the real truth!