The Sand Quarry (Balumahal) and Soil Management (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was passed in the Jatiya Sangsad on Tuesday with the provision of banning the extraction of sand and soil from farmlands as well as the topsoil of other lands.
Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury moved the bill which was unanimously passed by voice votes in the House with Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.
Piloting the bill, the land minister said "The bill has been placed aiming to bring necessary amendment of the previous 'Sand Quarry and Soil Management Bill-2010."
The topsoil of both private and commercial lands too cannot be extracted if there is any possibility of damage, said the minister.
Sand and soil cannot be extracted, if such extraction destroys navigability of river routes, as per the draft act.
Right now, there is no bar to extract soil and sand from farmlands. It has been incorporated in the revised act, he said.
Jatiya Party lawmakers Fakhrul Imam of Mymensingh-8, Barrister Shamim Haider
Patwary of Gaibandha-1, Pir Fazlur Rahman of Sunamganj-4, Rawshan Ara Manan
of women seat-47 and Gano Forum lawmaker Mokabbir Khan of Sylhet-1, among others, spoke on the bill.