Staff Correspondent

Dhaka WASA (Water Supply and Sewerage Authority) took project of Tk 3,800 crore to supply water after purifying the water of Padma River from Jashaldia in Munshiganj. In that project, Taqsem A Khan, the then managing director of Wasa, had embezzled huge amount of money through procuring low-quality pipes without testing it by BUET. Even, he suspended the project director engineer MA Rashid Siddiqui, who had issued letter to the contractors not to supply those low-quality K9 pipes. Furthermore, Taqsem employed engineer Md. Rafiqul Islam, who was known as his close man and through it Taqsem cleared his path of unprecedented corruption.

Not only he spread his dirty hands to this project, there’s no any other project in which he didn’t show such example. Pipes of various categories are essential in the projects of Wasa. And Taqsem and his syndicate committed huge corruption in procuring these kinds of pipes. Deputy managing director AKM Sahid Uddin and additional chief engineer Md. Rafiqul Islam was just like right hands and left hands to him, although they had internal conflicts between them. Although Taqsem A Khan is absconding now, his relatives are still safe in Dhaka Wasa. 17 officials of Dhaka Wasa are accused of assisting MD Taqsem A Khan in various misdeeds including embezzlement, recruitment, transfer, development of WASA project etc. Wasa MD Taksim A Khan resigned on August 14 citing physical illness after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government. Then, deputy managing director AKM Sahid Uddin was appointed as Wasa MD. But on September 9, the High Court ordered to prevent Engineer AKM Sahid Uddin from performing his duties as MD. At the same time, it was ordered to temporarily appoint the senior deputy managing director as Managing Director (MD) of Dhaka Wasa. Shahid, who was already allegedly involved in corruption and irregularities led by Taqsem, got involved in the crime in his tenure of MD for just 25 days. It is alleged that during this time 54 pump operators were promoted to the rank of inspectors in exchange of Tk 5.5 crore., outsourced 23 people as billing assistants for Tk 2 crore. 24 sub-assistant engineers were promoted to the post of assistant engineers in exchange of Tk 1 crore and 35 sub-assistant engineers were promoted in exchange of Tk 1 crore. After getting appointed, at first he sent the previous rival Rafiqul Islam to OSD. Rafiqul Islam also embezzled hundreds of crores of Tk under the shelter of Taqsem. Taqsem removed the director of the Padma Jashaldia project and appointed Rafiqul to allow him to do whatever he wanted.

On October 9, 2014, the then project director Engineer MA Rashid Siddiqui wrote a letter to the contractor. In the letter given to China CAMC Engineering Company, it is written that ‘K9 ductile pipe is not acceptable as per the agreement of this project with Dhaka WASA. Therefore, it is being asked not to send this pipe without the approval of Dhaka WASA.’ It threatens Sirajuddin (Research, Planning and Development) and Chief Strategist Abul Kashem by mail, Saying, ‘What is going on?’ In that email sent on October 9, 2014 at 8:56 PM, he also wrote, ‘Are you aware of that letter? What are the project managers doing? Why did he write that letter without discussing with you? Tell him not to write more word without asking me or you.’ Copy of this mail was also given to deputy project director Rafiqul Islam and Azizul Aqeel David, the director of local contractor Arid Group.

Similarly, at 9:27 p.m. on that day, Deputy Managing Director Md. Sirajuddin sent mail to Project Director MA Rashid Siddiqui. He wrote, ‘I am surprised that the mail was to the contractor without talking to the higher authorities on such an important matter. This complicates the whole process. You have been asked to refrain from such misleading activities and to give an explanation in this regard.’ Then Engineer MA Rashid Siddiqui was removed from the post of Project Director and Rafiqul Islam was given the responsibility. It is alleged that Rafiqul embezzled Tk 500 crore by using low-quality ductile iron pipe of 19.5 mm thickness instead of 22 mm in the 33 km main transmission line of the water treatment plant. Apart from this, Rafiqul has bagged huge money by joining hands with the contractors in several other projects. In this regard, Rabiul Kaizer, the former supervising engineer of Dhaka Wasa, told that, “Taqsem A Khan used to appoint people of his choice as project managers in mega projects. Wasa was running with the connivance of this syndicate.”

He thinks he would have been get fired if he had protested against these corruptions conducted by Taqsem.

“Attempts have been made to send me into compulsory retirement. For the past 12 years, I have been visiting the courthouse protesting this injustice of Taqsem. These corrupt people should be identified and fired, exemplary punishment should be ensured,” he said.

Sites were selected in Bhakurta in Savar, Tentuljhora in Savar and Taranagar Union in Keraniganj for the project ‘Reducing Mirpur’s dependence on groundwater to meet the water demand of Greater Mirpur area includes Dhaka’. To prevent the water level of Dhaka from going down, these unions were chosen to install deep tube wells to draw underground water. In the Tk 573-crore Wasa project for water supply in Mirpur of the capital, the contractor has completed the work by installing only pipes in place of pumps with deep tube wells. 46 deep tubewells are supposed to be installed, but five of them have not been equipped to raise water. In addition, the contractor has collected the bill after completing the project only by laying the tube well pipe.

In this regard, the executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Dr Iftekharuzzaman told that the responsible authorities should show honest courage to ensure the accountability of Dhaka Wasa. These mega projects of Wasa have been initiated with domestic and foreign funding and public money. To activate them fully, specific planning should be done, expert advice should be taken. Wasa MD alone cannot do these corruptions. Syndicate worked as his hands here. Taqsem A Khan is absconding but this syndicate is active. Those involved in these crimes should be held accountable. Otherwise, the previous incident will repeat itself.”