Overpricing water, embezzling funds, among dozens of irregularities Taqsem committed, Wasa chairman writes to ministry

Overpricing water and embezzling funds are among dozens of irregularities Water Supply and Sewerage Authority Managing Director Taqsem A Khan has committed, Chairman of the amenity agency board Golam Mostafa said in a letter to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives on Wednesday.

"Taqsem A Khan has turned the Dhaka Wasa into a place of irregularities, waste and corruption. He has been managing the agency in a dictatorial manner as it is his own estate. The MD has been defying the Wasa board for long, but it has now reached an extreme level," reads the letter, a copy of which The Business Standard obtained.

Other complaints the Wasa board chairman raised are unlawful recruitments, rearranging management for the sake of irregularities, expressing anger at high-ups, making board meetings irregular and so on.

Talking to The Business Standard, Golam Mostafa said he has written to the ministry as the long-standing irregularities and corruption in Dhaka Wasa reached extreme levels.

"Wasa MD doesn't follow any rules. He spends according to his wishes and fails to give proper account. He doesn't even care about the Wasa board. The Wasa is now running in a completely autocratic manner," he added and hoped that the ministry will take action to this end.

Claiming that the ministry is somewhat taking the side of Taqsem, the chairman said, "The ministry has called me and asked whether the Wasa board should be dissolved."

When contacted, Wasa Managing Director Taqsem A Khan declined to make a comment on the issue. "I have no comments….. I have no comments here. I have not raised any issues. I did nothing. So no comment," he told The Business Standard over the phone.

On water pricing, a Wasa board member, wishing to remain unnamed, told TBS that the Wasa uses wrong calculations in determining the price of water.

"We have calculated the cost of water production and found that it is about Tk16 per unit but the Wasa shows it at Tk27-28. Anyone can figure out this cost by analysing the annual report," he added and noted that if Wasa management becomes efficient, it is possible to reduce the water price significantly.

The Wasa Chairman Golam Mostafa made the complaints to the ministry just a week after Wasa employee unions complained against him. In a letter to the local government ministry, the Dhaka Wasa Workers Union, the Dhaka Wasa Diploma Engineers Association and the Dhaka Wasa Engineers Union said they were embarrassed and humiliated by the chairman.

Sources at the Dhaka Wasa said the conflict between the Wasa board chairman and managing director is now an open secret. It comes light from time to time. For example, the chairman spoke on various Wasa irregularities in a TV talk show early this month, where he pointed fingers at the managing director, Taqsem.

On Wednesday's letter, Golam Mostafa said anyone who speaks against the managing director is terminated from the job. "Taqsem collects higher amounts of money by overpricing water, hides crores of taka using various tactics, and spends beyond the budget.

"For example, Takim hired an audit firm for more than Tk3 crore, but as per the rules, it cannot be more than Tk2 crore. When it comes to the water booth project, the Wasa pays salaries of workers at booths but does not get any money, on paper. Taqsem has failed to provide any answer to these," Golam Mostafa told TBS.

The letter also mentioned some other cases where there are mismatches in funds. When the board asks for the details of an expenditure, the MD reacts angrily, it said.

"Taqsem has created the administration according to his convenience to show his power. Although there should not be any post of board secretary in the Wasa as per organogram, Taqsem made it for his associate who blindly follow all of his orders."

The MD also halted board meetings while he was on vacation abroad. Lack of cooperation and misconduct are common for him, the letter said.