Key Takeaways
- Dhaka Wasa MD Taqsem A Khan resigns due to health issues.
- Taqsem Khan is facing corruption and irregularity allegations.
- Dhaka Wasa’s foreign loan obligations stand at approximately Tk19,000 crore.
Dhaka: Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) Managing Director Taqsem A Khan, a prominent figure during former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration, submitted his resignation online, a media report said on Thursday.
A resignation letter posted by Khan on Wednesday said he was unable to continue due to health issues, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
After Sheikh Hasina’s resignation on August 5, Khan did not attend office, according to the report.
Khan’s latest monthly salary as MD of Dhaka Wasa was Tk625,000. He was also under investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), it added.
Khan, appointed as MD of Dhaka Wasa in 2009, has been granted multiple extensions, with the most recent one being in August last year, extending his tenure by three years.
Despite corruption and irregularity allegations, questions were raised about his prolonged tenure in the same position, the reports said.
Since 2009, the price of water in Dhaka has increased 16 times under his leadership.
Following the fall of Hasina’s government, Dhaka Wasa employees also staged protests demanding Khan’s immediate resignation and arrest.
According to media reports, it remains unclear whether he is still in the country or has left for abroad.
Khan, along with his wife and children, holds US citizenship, leading many to believe that he may have fled to the US, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
According to reports, Dhaka Wasa’s foreign loan obligations across various projects stand at approximately Tk19,000 crore. Due to delays in project implementation and the inability to operationalize completed projects, the organization’s expenses have surged.
