Shawdesh Desk:

Transparency International Bangladesh, in a statement on Friday, asked the authorities concerned to take the corruption allegations against Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority managing director Taqsem A Khan raised by its board chairman Golam Mostafa into cognisance and hold the responsible people accountable.

According to the non-government organisation, since the WASA Board chairman raised allegations of arbitrariness bypassing the law and the board, there was no way to avoid them.

The organisation also demanded a fair and impartial investigation into allegations of Dhaka WASA’s widespread irregularities and corruption published by the media to ensure the accountability of those responsible for these irregularities and corruption.

TIB executive director Iftekharuzzaman said, ‘Allegations of institutionalisation of corruption and irregularities in the Dhaka WASA through abuse of arbitrary power have been consistently raised at various times, but no visible action has been taken for a remedy.’

‘Influenced by invisible forces, this arbitrariness has been established as a “role model” of unaccountability,’ he said.

Refereeing to the High Court directive to investigate the allegation against nine, including Taqsem, regarding the embezzlement of Tk 132 crore, Iftekharuzzaman said that there had been no visible progress in this regard so far, which was disappointing.

Dhaka WASA Board chairman Golam Mostafa, in a letter to the Local Government Division on Wednesday, alleged that its managing director, Taqsem, transformed the organisation into a den of corruption and financial irregularities.

In the written complaint, the chairman said that the Dhaka WASA was in a sorry state internally.

‘If anyone raises a voice against the managing director, the person is removed from the job,’ the letter stated.

The chairman added that Taqsem spent millions of taka outside the budgetary allocation.