No corruption in projects of Dhaka Wasa, claims acting MD

Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa)'s acting Managing Director AKM Shahid Uddin on Wednesday claimed that there was no corruption in Wasa's projects despite wide controversies and allegations of embezzling money and corruption.

"Every project has consultants. They look after the projects and give recommendations to provide a certain amount of money to respective contractors. Apart from this, not a single Taka was given," he told journalists after an Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) interrogation on Wednesday (19 October).

An investigation team led by Syed Nazrul Islam, deputy director at ACC, interrogated two officials of Dhaka WASA including its acting MD AKM Shahid Uddin on Wednesday in relation to the probe against Dhaka WASA Managing Director Taqsem A Khan's alleged corruption, recruitment business and embezzlement in different projects.

Taqsem was first appointed to the post of Wasa MD in 2009. Despite controversies and criticism, his tenure has been extended six times. At present, he receives Tk6.25 lakh per month as salary and allowances. There have been allegations of not maintaining policies properly in extending his tenure.

There are many other complaints against him, including increasing project costs, syndication in the appointment of contractors, bribery, appointing people he favours by creating posts, etc. He also imposed certain conditions for the selection of consultants and contractors for projects so that only a certain number of contractors can participate in the competition.

According to an Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) report, Wasa projects are not completed on time. In many cases, the work is not done according to the design and specification of the project. There is widespread corruption in the installation of privately owned deep tube wells, metre reading, and revenue collection.

Apart from this, using political identification and taking bribes in exchange for work has become a common practice in the selection of contractors.

Also, more than Tk132 crore of the Dhaka Wasa Employees Multipurpose Cooperative Society was embezzled from six banks with the direct help and instruction of Wasa MD Taqsem A Khan, which was revealed in an ACC audit in 2018-2020.