DSCC fines WASA for forgery to dig street

WASA has been asked to pay the Tk 1.4 million fines within three days or face legal action

In a rare move, Dhaka South City Corporation has fined the capital’s Water Supply and Sewerage Authority nearly Tk 1.4 million for forgery to dig a street for pipeline development in Lalbagh.

DSCC Spokesman Md Abu Naser said in a notice on Tuesday that Mithoon Chandra Sheel, executive officer of the city corporation’s zone-3, sent a letter to the WASA on Monday, informing them about the fines.

Mithoon asked the WASA to pay the fines within three days or face legal action, Naser said and added that the WASA received the letter.

bdnews24.com could not obtain the WASA’s comments about the matter.

Mostafa Tareque, a spokesman for the water authority, said he was unaware of the letter.

Officials said WASA had sought the DSCC’s permission to dig the street next to Shaheed Abdul Alim Playground in Lalbagh several months ago to install an electronic pressure reducing valve in the main water supply line under Sayedabad Water Supply .

The city corporation’s One-Stop Cell gave WASA the go-ahead and Mithoon sent a letter to the plant’s Executive Engineer Syed Mostakim Hossain, saying the digging must be completed from Apr 24 to Apr 30.

But the WASA sought to do the work from Apr 29 to May 23.

The city corporation then verbally informed the WASA that the work cannot be done because of Eid-ul-Azha rush and other reasons.

The DSCC officials visited the area on Monday upon receiving information that the WASA was digging the street without permission.

WASA workers showed a paper containing the signature of a DSCC official who instantly realised his signature was forged to make the document.

The WASA workers fled the scene when they sensed the city corporation officials caught their forgery.

The city corporation seized the equipment that were being used for the digging.

“How can an agency do such a thing by forging our executive engineer’s signature? There can’t be coordination if an agency gets involved in such condemnable and unacceptable acts,” Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh said on Tuesday.

He said Dhaka WASA apologised to the city corporation and promised action against the people involved in the forgery.

He also said the city corporation hoped the local government ministry would take firm action over the matter.