The widely discussed and criticized engineer Taksim A Khan was the managing director (MD) of Dhaka Wasa for almost 15 years despite allegations of various irregularities and corruption. Finally yesterday Wednesday (August 14) the media reported his resignation. The highly criticized man is accused of embezzling 5000 crore tk and selling 14 houses in the United States. He has earlier dismissed the information of having 14 houses in the US as lies. Ever since he was appointed, there have been allegations of irregularities and corruption against him. But still he remained in the position of MD for a long decade and a half. Earlier, he claimed that the government kept him in this position on his request.
5000 crore tk lost
During the time of Taksim A Khan, more than 5 thousand crores of corruption happened. This has increased the price of water and sewage services for the residents of the capital. Leaders of Dhaka Wasa Officers and Employees Union said that this organization has incurred a debt of about 25 thousand crores for the implementation of projects dependent on foreign aid.
According to them, there was corruption in the construction of the transmission line of the Padma (Yashaldia) water treatment plant project with Tk 600 crores, Dasherkandi sewage treatment plant’s Newman equipment purchase Tk 600 crores, water and sewerage bills Tk 3 thousand 221 crores, Dhaka WASA Employees’ Multipurpose Cooperative Samity Limited Tk 621 crores.
They said that because he is a relative of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted in the students’ movement, he did whatever he wanted without regard to the law. Unjustly fired many people. Even though the High Court gave instructions, many were not allowed to carry out normal activities. Dhaka Wasa officials and employees have been agitating to demand his arrest for several days. He is now staying at Hotel Sonargaon instead of staying at his home for fear of public outrage. From there, he is giving instructions to the officers and employees online.
In this context, the former chairman of the Dhaka Wasa Board, Dr. Golam Mustafa told Yugantar that I wrote a letter to the local government department on May 17, 2023 about the irregularities and corruption of Engineer Taksim. The ministry removed me after four days without conducting its investigation. He said that he was caught by the money of corruption. He has also been supported politically.
He said, there were terrible irregularities and corruption during the time of Engineer Taksim in Dhaka Wasa; It is very clear. A proper investigation into the Padma (Yashaldia), Dasherkandi sewage treatment plant project will make it clear. Besides, the government can also investigate the other projects that have been implemented. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) once started an investigation, stopped for mysterious reasons. He has turned the ministry into his puppet.
He said, now is the time to change; Ministry or ACC can do proper investigation if they want. In this case, the present government should take initiatives. If this stone is not removed from Dhaka Wasa, the capital residents will have to pay many times more to get water and sewage services. Also this important urban institution will be further destroyed. For this reason, I request the relevant officials of the current government to thoroughly investigate his corruption issues. I have come to know that he is now staying at five star hotel Sonargaon instead of staying at home for fear of public outrage.
Dhaka WASA officers-employees union council has made an account of irregularities and corruption in Dhaka WASA in the past. According to their calculations, at least 600 crores of corruption was committed by using Newman machinery in the construction of the Dasherkandi sewage treatment plant project, which was built at a cost of about 4 thousand crore rupees. Apart from this, there is no benefit from implementing the main project without making a network of this project. As no house-house waste is being treated there, no revenue is being collected.
Hatirjheel waste water is being treated there to keep the refinery plant running. In this, 512 million taka are going to Dhaka Wasa annually; If the loan installments start in 2027, the annual loss will increase to about Tk 825 crore. Although the project was launched 2 years ago, no transmission line (network) project has been proposed so far. Even if the transmission line process starts now, it will take at least 10 years to complete. By then the sewage treatment plant equipment will be useless.
The same is the case with the Padma-Yashaldia water treatment plant project. About Tk 500 crore was embezzled in the use of Neuman’s water and equipment in the construction of the main transmission line. In this project, the production of 45 crore liters of water per day is supposed to be done, but less than half is being produced because the project was launched without building a supply line. As a result, 142 crore rupees have been lost to Dhaka Wasa from the financial year 2019-20. And since the repayment of loan installments has started, the amount has increased to Tk 450 crore from the current financial year. There has been corruption in this project; 105 crores have been paid to the contractor even during the warranty period. Although there is money in the Dhaka WASA fund, the supply of this project is not being provided due to obvious reasons.
According to the calculations of the leaders of Oikyaparishad, from 2014-2015 fiscal year to 2022-2023 fiscal year, Dhaka WASA lost Tk 3 thousand 221 crores. Despite the increase in water price and number of customers, digitization of the billing system, the company is being deprived of this huge amount of revenue due to theft, negligence and inefficiency of its officials. In the financial year 2009-2010 the company’s system loss was 34.82 percent and currently it has increased to 54.82 percent; However, the current administration of Dhaka WASA is claiming that Dhaka WASA system loss is 20 percent.
They said that Tk 621 crore was lost from the Dhaka Wasa Employees Multipurpose Cooperative Society in violation of the Cooperative Act. Besides, the goods of the association have been sold. His estimated value is also around hundred million rupees. Between 2010 and 2020, the Directorate of Cooperatives has reported a loss of Tk 332.52 million. Then the rest of the money disappeared. No action was taken against any of them due to corruption under the umbrella of Engineer Taksim A Khan.
They said that engineer Taksim A Khan has many examples of extorting money without providing minimum services to the citizens of the capital in 15 years. Although there is no water service in the city, 400 crore rupees have been collected from the city residents in this sector annually. According to the promise of the MD of Dhaka WASA, 70 percent water production from surface sources and 30 percent from underground sources was announced in 2024. Couldn’t even get close to him in reality. Still 76 percent of Dhaka Wasar motor water is extracted from underground sources. And 24 percent is taken from surface sources.
They also said that seniority was not accepted in his time for promotion in Dhaka Wasa. Seniors have been promoted to juniors to root out illegal money transactions. Those who cooperated in his work, benefited them financially and also gave them the opportunity to travel abroad. During his time, he formed a syndicate consisting of half a hundred officers and employees. They sponsored them to prevent the loss.
In this context, the president of the Dhaka WASA Officer-Employee Union, Engineer Md. Mozammel Haque told Yugantar that during the time of Engineer Taksim A Khan, there were serious irregularities and corruption in Dhaka Wasa. We have also made a calculation of it. It will be submitted to the Local Government Advisor tomorrow.
He said that more than 5000 crores of corruption has been committed in project implementation and water and sewerage bills. Due to this, the projects have become stagnant. Where now hundreds of crores of subsidies have to be paid to Dhaka WASA. By implementing the project with foreign aid, the company has incurred a debt of about 25 thousand crores. We don’t want this corrupt MDK anymore.
He said that he came to know that engineer Taksim had left his home and was staying at Hotel Sonargaon due to public anger. I will demand from the present government that he should be arrested from wherever he is and brought under the law. Although he did not come to the office due to the fear of officials and employees, it was heard that he was having a Zoom meeting with the corrupt syndicate. All corrupt people should be brought under the law.
In this regard, Dhaka WASA Deputy Managing Director (Administration) Professor Dr. Syed Mohammad Ghulam Yazdani told Jugantar, “I was dismissed completely unfairly for disobeying the unfair instructions of Engineer Taksim A Khan.” The High Court canceled it on June 10, 2023 but did not allow him to join the work.
He said, there are hundreds of proofs of irregularities and corruption of Engineer Taksim A Khan. I request the current government to investigate them and ensure exemplary punishment. And I will request the concerned to take care so that he cannot escape in any way. He holds an American passport, his family members live there, and he can flee at any time.
14 houses in the United States
Controversial Taksim A Khan owns 14 houses worth about thousands of crores of rupees in the United States. The High Court ordered an inquiry into the matter after such news was published in a national daily in January last year. A day after that, Taksim A Khan came to the press conference and talked about the irregularities and corruption against him and the 14 houses in the United States.
At that time, he said, ‘The news about his 14 houses in the United States that came out in the newspaper is a complete lie. Out of the 14 houses mentioned, five houses have been rented by my family at various times. Another house is in the name of my wife. I, my wife, children are all US citizens.
Regarding the ACC investigation, Taksim A Khan said, those who are harmed by seeing the good work of Dhaka Wasa, make such a complaint. I have never eaten haram paisa in my life. won’t eat
Last year, the ACC investigated allegations of irregularities, corruption and recruitment trade against Wasar’s superiors, including Taksim. Besides, on August 25, Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), the intelligence agency of the financial sector, issued a letter summoning all kinds of bank accounts of Taksim A Khan. Meanwhile, last Monday, “Wasar Taksim’s 14 houses in the United States!” The report was published in a national daily under the title.
According to the report, the price of all the houses will be thousands of crores of rupees. It has been alleged that he became the owner of these houses by smuggling money from the country. Several intelligence agencies including Interpol are looking for the source of the money to buy the house and information about the transaction process. Taksim’s name is included in the country’s intelligence list as a suspect in the purchase of houses after a large sum of money.
After the publication of this report, the High Court ordered an investigation into the allegations raised against the MD of Dhaka Wasa. It has been asked to submit a report within 15 days after investigating whether Taksim has returned to the United States through corruption.
Dhaka Wasser MD said in the press conference, ‘My wife works in the United States government. His family members have been US citizens since 1995. The media reports that international intelligence agencies are investigating the house and financial transactions are a stunt. My wife and children are well established there, so there is no problem in buying a house there. I have that house in my wife’s name. It cannot be called a house, it is an apartment.… There have been various reports about me from time to time but they are all false, it has already been proved. So they are all untrue and intentional. Those who have not received or are not receiving immoral benefits from WASA are the ones who do these things.’
Denying the allegations of buying 14 houses in the United States through corruption and irregularities, he said, ‘I came from there (United States) to work in Wasa. Not that I built my wealth there by working here. My wife works in government there. My son also has a very good job there. They don’t have to pay anything from the income I earn. They are much better there; That is why it is not unusual to have an apartment in my wife’s name. However, the 14 houses mentioned in the report are completely false. 5 of these houses have been rented at various times by my family at the given address. But a false report was published. My son also once rented a house there, but left it long ago. My name is there as a guardian. These names have been taken from the internet and this report has been made against him.
Taksim A Khan also talked about the description of the house in that report. He said, ‘A building has 10-15 apartments. You will also get the current market price of those apartments from the website. There is no house with 102 bedrooms, and no house with 102 bathrooms. Those that happen are presidential… that are not even in our discussion. There are usually no such homes in America. Therefore it is completely false and intentional, so it has no basis.’