Tushar Mohan Sadhu Khan is serving as the Chief Engineer of the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE). He got a big responsibility through the trust of the former government. However, this officer is accused of creating a reign of irregularities in the Department of Public Health by taking charge of this chair.

The complaint states that hundreds of crores of taka earned through irregularities and corruption were sent to his younger brother living in India and America and his daughter living in Canada through hundi. At the same time, there are allegations that the money earned through this dishonest way was used to purchase cars, building houses and various business establishments in India, America, Canada, Australia, Dubai and Sri Lanka in anonymous names.

However, despite these allegations, no action was taken against him by the higher authorities. Former Minister of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Md. Tajul Islam, Tushar Mohan Sadhu Khan remains in the same chair even after submitting a written complaint to him. As a result, discussions have started among the officials of the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) itself.

Multiple sources in the department, on condition of anonymity, told Barta24.com that this officer got promoted without taking part in the seniority test. Along with this, he has created his own circle of corruption in his own office. There are also allegations against him of regularly taking commissions from project directors and contractors. Earlier, when he was the additional chief engineer and director of the safe water supply and arsenic risk mitigation project across the country, there were allegations of widespread irregularities against him. In addition, the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Department (IMED) of the government agency Planning Ministry also received information about discrepancies in expenditure during the audit.

Meanwhile, the Department of Public Health Engineering installs deep tube wells across the country to ensure safe water for the people of the country. The related projects are funded by the government and various donor agencies. The complaint has revealed that even though this project is for marginalized and indigent people, he distributed tube wells according to the list given by the leaders and activists of the ruling party without verifying anything. On his instructions, these tube wells have been installed in the past according to the list given by Awami League leaders and activists and ministers and MPs. As a result, the poor people are being deprived of facilities. Citizens in many marginal areas are still not getting the benefits of the safe water project.

Sources have learned that Sadhu Khan has started changing his tune after the previous government Sheikh Hasina left the country. He is trying to prove through various media that he is close to BNP leader Gayeshwar Chandra Roy. At the same time, he is lobbying in various circles.

On October 31 last year, a person named Shamim Hossain filed a complaint with the Ministry of Local Government, citing the irregularities and corruption of Tushar Mohan Sadhu Khan, Chief Engineer of the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE). In the written complaint, he requested action against the irregularities and corruption of Tushar Mohan Sadhu Khan, PD of the Department of Public Health Engineering's All Bangladesh Safe Water Supply Project, money laundering abroad and embezzlement and looting of hundreds of crores of taka by doing substandard work in the project area.

The complaint states that PD Tushar Mohan Sadhu Khan, the director of the Public Health Engineering Department's project to provide safe water to all of Bangladesh, has established a reign of corruption and irregularities. Hundreds of crores of taka of his bribes were kept at his younger sister's house in Lalmatia in the capital. Later, this money was sent to his younger brother living in India and America and his daughter living in Canada through contractor Dilip Babu through hundi. Most of the bribe money was sent to his younger sister and brother. Before his younger sister-in-law died, he used to deliver the bribe money to all the hundi traders. He has anonymous cars, houses and various business establishments in India, America, Canada, Australia, Dubai and Sri Lanka. Earlier, he used to transact bribe money through Anwar Hossain, the estimator of this project, but now he himself directly transacts bribe money through trusted contractors and executive engineers of various districts. PD Tushar Mohan Sadhu Khan has developed close relations with some dishonest officials of the ministry, including various transactions. Although the project was supposed to be revised through the Planning Commission through its own ministry as per the rules, the project was revised by adding new items to the previous items in violation of the rules and by changing the rules. The DPP's Upazila-wise Distribution List for the Safe Water Supply Project of the Department of Public Health Engineering has allocated an allocation of 150 to 15,000 tube wells in the entire Bangladesh. Only in one district, 15,000 tube wells are to be installed in the DPP. Most of the upazilas have allocated 4,000, 5,000, 6,000 and 7,000. The upazilas where more work has been done in the previous project and there are other projects running have been allocated less. The upazilas where less work has been done in the previous project and there is no work in other projects running have been allocated more. The DPP has been revised as a proportional rate of population and has been distributed equally to all the unions of the country without any consideration. Tube wells have been allocated even where there is no need. Tube wells have not been allocated where there is an urgent need. If it were according to the DPP, 1 tube well should have been installed for every 60 people. Due to the exclusion of DPP and the projects being taken for the purpose of looting, in some places only 1 in 20 people has got a tube well. In some places, there is not even one. As a result, neglected areas remain neglected. In this way Tushar Mohan Sadhu Khan, the PD of the safe water supply project in Bangladesh, has done has mi9sused the project money.

The project approval has been obtained from you very skillfully by saying that 26 tube wells will be installed in each union. In this way, even though about 6 lakhs have been installed across the country, the people will not benefit as a whole. The call for 6 lakh tenders has been completed. The project director has called tenders evenly in order to benefit himself. The package mentioned in the DPP has been violated and fabricated. The package has been made small and large in order to benefit the PD himself. The number and package do not match the DPP. They are going to finish the field without proper information and accounting of the cost of the field. Evidence has been found that 10% of the work has been delayed for months after months. The truth of this can be found by verifying the tender processes of various field levels in the district. These works have been done for the purpose of financial gain. As a result, the work could not be implemented in the field on time at the specified time. There is no monitoring by the officers including the PRID and DPD in the field. They work in the planning office. There is no similarity between the actual work and the DPP. The officers including the PD have no headache about the quality of water. The contractors have been billed even though there is excessive arsenic and iron in the tube well.

Where the water quality is bad, the DPP has installed vessel type filters worth 160 thousand taka. But the PD has installed low quality filters worth 18 thousand taka from its own company in all those places of bad water quality which will not be of any use to the people. After 6 months, these filters are not found. Piped water supply was in 491 upazilas in the DPP. There is no progress in most districts. Although only tenders were called, the people are not benefiting as they are not implemented on time.

The government agency, the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Department (IMED) of the Ministry of Planning itself, has alleged various irregularities in the work of the project. Among these are construction defects, failure to ensure the accountability of contractors, failure to resolve audit objections even after they are raised, failure to hold sufficient PIC and PSC meetings despite being one of the regulators of project management, and failure to provide training at the field level.

As a result, he appealed to the Department of Public Health Engineering to take action against the irregularities and corruption of Tushar Mohan Sadhu Khan, PD of the Safe Water Supply Project in Bangladesh, money laundering abroad, and embezzlement and looting of hundreds of crores of taka by doing substandard work in the project area.

It was not possible to meet him at his office at the Department of Public Health Engineering on the first day to find out about these allegations. Later, when he went again a day later, he said that he did not have time, saying that he had a meeting. However, he asked to sit in the waiting room and said that he would meet him when he went to the meeting. When he met me after a long wait and asked about the complaint, Tushar Mohan Sadhu Khan told Barta24.com, I have no comment on this matter. You should meet Executive Engineer (Establishment) Mohammad Faizul Islam Sumon about this. I have written to him, you will know from him.

After waiting again, when I met Executive Engineer (Establishment) Mohammad Faizul Islam Sumon and asked about this, he told Barta24.com, "I cannot give you the statement sir. You do some work and come tomorrow morning. Or come around 5-6 pm. At this time, sir is free. I will try to give you an opportunity to talk to him and get your comments."

This reporter tried to contact the Local Government Division's Adviser A.F. Hasan Arif to find out about the allegations of irregularities by the Chief Engineer of the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) Tushar Mohan Sadhu Khan and whether any action will be taken against him. He did not answer the call even though he was called on his mobile phone twice.