WASA DMD is removed now after speaking against irregularities

Syed Golam Yazdani, the deputy managing director (DMD) of the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) disclosed the irregularities in the agency to the media. WASA managing director Taqsem A Khan didn’t take that well. He took initiative to remove the DMD from WASA.

Golam Yazdani was released from the post without being given any chance to defend himself yesterday, Thursday.

According to the sources in the WASA board, Golam Yazdani was dismissed from the post of DMD (human resource and administration) as per the decision taken in the 305th meeting of the board at the WASA Bhaban in the capital’s Karwan Bazar on Thursday.

Speaking to Prothom Alo in this regard, Dip Azad, Dhaka WASA board member and secretary general of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), said, “DMD Golam Yazdani was not on good terms with MD Taqsem Khan due to various issues. WASA was being affected due to this gap between the two most important officials of the organisation. Therefore, it was important to come to a decision. Some of the board members opposed the dismissal of the DMD in the meeting. Later, we took the matter to the MD for the final decision.”

According to WASA sources, there has been a distance between MD Taqsem Khan and DMD Golam Yazdani for a while. Yazdani opposed a few decisions taken by the MD. He also spoke to the media about various irregularities in WASA.

Sources in the WASA board said the proposal to release DMD Yazdani was included in the agenda of the 304th board meeting. However, the board members vetoed it arguing that the decision to release someone without giving a chance of defending himself was not acceptable. Later, the WASA MD and the chairman took the decision to release DMD Golam Yazdani in the 305th board meeting on Thursday.

Prothom Alo reached WASA board chairman Sujit Kumar Bala over the phone for his comment. However, he denied making any comment on this.

Golam Yazdani did not want to say anything in this regard either. He told Prothom Alo over the phone that, “I don’t want to say anything. You better contact the board members.”

The WASA board appointed Golam Mohammad Rabbani as the DMD (human resource and administration) on 16 May 2022. The tenure of a WASA DMD is three years as per the rules. As such, Yazdani was supposed to serve as the DMD till 15 May 2025.

However, the administration was disgruntled with him after he raised questions over different irregularities within the agency.

Earlier on 21 May, the then WASA board chairman Golam Mostafa was removed from the post. Sujit Kumar Bala, professor at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), replaced him as the board chairman of WASA the following day.

On 17 May Golam Mostafa filed a complaint in writing at the local government ministry against WASA MD Taqsem A Khan.

The new chairman of WASA board is known to be a close assosiate and well-wisher of WASA MD Taqsem Khan. There was discussion on raising the salary-allowances of the MD in the 276th meeting of the WASA board.  In the meeting, several board members raised questions over raising the salary allowances of the MD. However, Sujit Kumar Bala supported the proposal to raise MD’s salary, the sources said.