Bill passed to make brick manufacturing law time-befitting
Parliament yesterday passed the 'Brick Manufacturing and Brick Kiln Establishment (Control) (Amendment) Bill, 2019, aiming to make the existing law on brick manufacturing a more time-befitting one.
Environment, Forests and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin moved the bill in the House and it was passed by voice vote.
The proposed law is a modified version of the "Brick Manufacturing and Brick Kiln Establishment (Control) Act 2013" which came into effect in July 2014 clearly prohibiting conventional technologies in the brick-making industry.
As per the bill, the establishment of brick fields in residential, protected, commercial and agricultural areas, and also in forests, sanctuaries, wetlands and Ecologically Critical Areas (ECAs) is prohibited.
It said the 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.
Unauthorised setting up of a brick field in a residential, protected orcommercial location will lead to a maximum punishment of five years in prison or a financial penalty of maximum Tk 5 lakh or both.
It reads that for setting up brick field, a licence has to be taken from the Deputy Commissioner of the respective district. No one will be allowed to set up a brick field without a licence.
The violation of this will be treated as an offence and the punishment for this offence is maximum two years in prison or a financial penalty of maximum Tk 20 lakh or both.
For not manufacturing Hollow Brick, the punishment is Tk 2 lakh while the fine for using excessive sulphur, ash, mercury and materials like these in coal as fuel will be Tk 1 lakh.
For excessive gas emission and liquid wastage, the fine will be one year's imprisonment or Tk 1 lakh or both.
