HC stays demotion order given to Wasa engineer for talking to media on irregularities
The High Court today stayed for 30 days an order by Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) managing director for demoting its Executive Engineer Md Mozammel Haque for giving information to media in 2017 on irregularities of Wasa that resulted in waterlogging in Dhaka.
The order if executed would demote the executive engineer to the post of sub-divisional engineer.
The HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim passed the order following a writ petition filed by Mozammel Haque challenging the legality of Wasa MD's decision.
Mozammel's lawyer SS Arefin Junnun told The Daily Star that few newspapers including the Kaler Kantho and Manabzamin published reports in 2017 on the waterlogging and irregularities of Dhaka Wasa.
Later a show-cause notice was issued against Mozammel Haque for talking to newspapers and a probe was conducted on this issue, he said.
Caretaker Engineer Md Ruhul Amin conducted the inquiry and submitted the probe report to the secretary of Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) in December 21 last year.
In the probe report, he said Mozammel Haque violated the provisions concerned of Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority Regulations 2010 by supplying information to media about internal affairs of Dhaka Wasa.
On January 8 this year, Wasa secretary issued another notice on Mozammel Haque, saying that Mozammel has committed a misconduct by giving information to media and therefore a departmental case has been lodged against him, lawyer Arefin said.
Arefin further said Wasa MD Engineer Taqsem A Khan, who is now abroad on leave, on July 4 issued a notice demoting Mozammel Haque from the office of executive engineer to the post of sub-divisional engineer which is illegal.
Citing the grounds mentioned in the writ petition, Arefin said Wasa MD Taqsem A Khan has been on leave from March 19 this year and he is not in the office now and therefore, he cannot issue such a demotion notice.
The lawyer also said Mozammel Haque will discharge duties as an executive engineer following the HC's stay order.