Dhaka WASA Managing Director Taqsem Khan finally steps down

Taqsem A Khan, the controversial managing director of the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewarage Authority (Dhaka WASA) who saw many headlines over irregularities and corruption, has stepped down from his post.

On Wednesday, Taqsem submitted his resignation letter to the Local Government Division, two Dhaka WASA officers confirmed.

“I had a conversation with MD sir yesterday. He said he would resign. Later I learned that he sent the resignation letter to secretary sir online,” said a WASA officer who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Taqsem did not answer his phone when bdnews24.com called him to discuss the matter.

Khan was appointed as WASA managing director in 2009. Later, his appointment was extended seven times. The last extension was in August 2023.

After Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country, Taqsem went into hiding. But he is in the country, a WASA officer told bdnews24.com.

A group of WASA officers and staff members banned Taqsem and some other officers from entering the WASA Bhaban. Those top officials have not gone to the offices since.

Following a feud with Taqsem, WASA Board Chairman Golam Mostafa had to leave the organisation last year. Mostafa had earlier complained to the Ministry of Local Government that Taqsem ‘did not cooperate with the WASA board, defied rules and ran the WASA management in an autocratic way, handling it like his own property and made WASA into a den of irregularities, wastage and corruption.’

In 2022, the Consumers Association of Bangladesh filed a writ petition with the High Court challenging the board’s decision to give Taqsem a salary raise.

Following an initial hearing on Aug 17 of the same year, the High Court ordered the authorities to submit an account of how much money Taqsem received in salaries and allowances over the past 13 years.

The High Court then also issued a rule asking why Taqsem would not be removed from the position of managing director and why the ‘inaction’ over his removal would not be deemed out of legal bounds.

Despite this, Tajul Islam, the local government and cooperative minister of the Awami League government, supported the repeated reappointment of Taqsem as WASA managing director.

“Journalists asked me many times and criticised Dhaka WASA Managing Director Taqsem A Khan. They asked why he was made WASA MD so many times. I told them that no one was beyond criticism. Not even me. But, we should focus on whether a person was performing the duties given to them properly. That is important,” he said on Jan 21 this year.