SANGSAD BHABAN, Feb 10, 2019 (BSS) – With a view to making the existing act
on brick more technology based and time-worthy, the bill entitled “Brick
Making and Brickfield Establishment (Control) (Amendment) Bill 2019” placed
in the Jatiya Sangsad today.
Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Md Shahab Uddin placed
the bill for enacting it in the House with Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin
Chaudhury in the chair.
The Speaker sent the bill to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the
concerned ministry for scrutiny through voice votes of the lawmakers.
The house asked the JS body to report back within 15 working days.
The proposed bill is a modified form of the “Brick Making and Kiln
Establishment (Control) Act 2013” which came into effect in July 2014
clearly prohibits conventional technologies in the brick-making industry.
As per the proposed bill, it prohibits establishment of brick fields in
residential, protected, commercial and agricultural areas, and also in
forests, sanctuaries, wetlands and Ecologically Critical Areas (ECAs).
Establishment of brick kilns in the prohibited areas will be treated as a
criminal offence, with varying degrees of punishment for offenders to be
determined by the nature of the areas involved, the proposed bill says.
It reads unauthorised setting up a brick field in residential, protected or
commercial locations will lead to a maximum punishment of five years in
prison or a financial penalty of maximum Taka five lakh or both.