Managing Director and CEO of the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) Engineer Taqsem A Khan has received Tk 57.99 million as his gross salary in the last 13 years since his appointment in the post in 2009, according to a report.
He took Tk 21.94 million as his basic salary from October 15 in 2009 to September 2022. By this time he got Tk 4.2 million as his house rent, Tk 0.3 million as new year allowance, Tk 3.66 million as medical allowance, Tk 17.71 million as special payment, Tk 3.64 million for entertainment allowance, Tk 3.11 million for festive allowance, Tk 3.09 million as performance award, 0.13 million as others allowance and Tk 0.17 million as dearness allowance.
In the last 13 years, he paid Tk 8.21 as income tax. Now he gets Tk 0.286 million as his basic salary per month and Tk 0.625 million as his gross salary.
Barrister Syed Mahsib Hossain on behalf of Dr Engineer Gholam Mostofa, Chairman of the Dhaka WASA Board, on Tuesday (November 29) submitted the report in the High Court complying with its earlier order.
Following a writ petition, the High Court on August 17 this year directed the Chairman of the Dhaka WASA Board to submit a report before it regarding the total gross salary, performance bonus, TADA, and all other benefits in terms of cash and kinds paid to the WASA MD in last 13 years within 60 days.
The High Court bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo passed the order after hearing the writ petition filed by the Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB) represented by its Chairman Architect Mubasshar Hussain on July 31 this year.
The HC also questioned the legality of holding the position of Managing Director and CEO of the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) by Engineer Taqsem A Khan and paying him Tk 0.625 million as his gross salary.
The court issued a rule upon the concerned bodies of the government to explain in four weeks as to why the inaction of the respondents in not taking any step to remove the Managing Director and CEO of the Dhaka WASA and cancel the previous decisions increasing his salary in violation of the Service Order (Salary and Benefits), 2015 and the notification issued in this regard by the Finance Ministry should not be declared illegal.
It also wanted to know in the rule as to why the respondents should not be directed to take appropriate steps to remove the Dhaka WASA MD and recover the excess salary paid to him illegally in the last 13 years and as to why the respondents should not be directed to fix the salary and other service benefits of the Dhaka WASA MD in line with the provisions of the Service Order (Salary and Benefits), 2015 and the notification issued in this regard by the Finance Ministry.
The local Government Secretary and Dhaka WASA’s board, chairman and MD have been asked to comply with the rule within four weeks.
Taqsem A Khan was made Dhaka WASA MD in 2009. Since then he has been carrying out the duties. Despite severe criticism of his role in ensuring qualities of WASA services, he was reappointed for the sixth term on 1 October 2020. Allegations of corruption arose every time against him.
