Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) was caught conducting unauthorized road excavation near Lalbagh Shaheed Abdul Alim playground in Ward 26, forging the signature of a Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) official on Monday.
DSCC officials inspected the site after receiving reports of unauthorized digging and demanded to see the workers’ permission documents.
The workers presented a document supposedly signed by DSCC Zone-3’s Regional Executive Engineer, Mithun Chandra Shil. However, a closer examination revealed the signature was forged and the date altered.
By the time the fraud was discovered, Wasa workers and supervisors had fled the scene. DSCC later seized the excavation equipment, including generators, a drill machine, aluminum bowls, crowbars, a shovel, LED lights, and helmets.
Sources indicate that Dhaka Wasa initially sought permission from DSCC’s One Stop Cell to dig the road for installing an Electronic Pressure Reducing Valve (E-PRV) in the main water line under the Sayedabad Water Treatment Plant. Permission was granted for excavation between April 24 and April 30, which was later extended until May 23 due to operational reasons.
Despite verbal advisories from DSCC officials against digging during Eid-ul-Azha due to potential public inconvenience, Dhaka Wasa attempted unauthorized excavation twice. The latest incident involved digging an area larger than permitted, further exacerbating the issue.
Mithun Chandra Shil stated, “The signature on the excavation permission document presented by Wasa was forged, and the date was altered. Legal action, including potential lawsuits, will be pursued against those responsible.”
