HC asks for amount of WASA MD’s salary-bonus in 13 years

The High Court has asked for the amount of salary and bonus and other benefits including TADA, given to Taqsem A Khan as the managing director (MD) of Dhaka Wasa in the last 13 years.

The chairman of Dhaka Wasa board has been ordered to submit all the information to the court within 60 days in the form of a report.

The bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo passed the order hearing a writ petition on Wednesday.

Architect Mubasshar Hussain Hossain filed the writ petition on behalf of the Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB) last month, challenging the legality of paying unreasonable and high salary to WASA MD in violation of the finance ministry’s circular and service (salary and benefits) order.

A report and an article published in Prothom Alo on WASA MD were attached to the petition.

Lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua argued on behalf of the petitioner while deputy attorney general Arvind Kumar Roy stood for the state.

In a conversation with Prothom Alo, Jyotirmoy Barua said the rule sought to know why the inaction to remove the MD of Dhaka WASA should not be declared illegal.

The rule also asked why the excessive salary paid to him in the previous days will not be recovered from him and why appropriate steps will not be taken to remove him.

Secretary to the local government, rural development and cooperatives ministry, Dhaka WASA board, Dhaka WASA chairman, and its managing director have been asked to respond to the rule within four weeks.