Dhaka: The cabinet on Monday gave the final approval to the draft of ‘The Cantonment Law, 2017’ incorporating tougher punishment for violating the law including delaying construction of building and breaking traffic rules in cantonment areas.

The approval was given at the regular weekly cabinet meeting held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, reports BSS.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said the draft law was formulated reorganising the existing Cantonment Act of 1924 to make it more time-befitting.

He said the existing law is a very old one having 292 sections while the proposed law contained 218 sections dropping the unnecessary ones and incorporating some new sections.

The cabinet secretary said the amount of various fees and fine on 43 different subjects including exceeding the completion period in construction of building, violation of traffic law, begging with distorted organs, carrying arms and exploding firecrackers, in the areas under Cantonment Board have been substantially increased from the about 90-year-old law.

Alam said that the proposed law has a provision of up to Tk 20,000 as fine for delaying the construction works of any building for more than three times, while the amount would be up to Tk 50,000 for delaying the construction works for more than five times instead of Tk 100 fine in the existing law.

For illegal construction of any establishment, maximum Tk 50,000 and minimum Tk 20,000 could be fined under the draft law, he said, adding that the amount of fine for digging in roads in the cantonment area is maximum Tk 10,000.

Besides, any one driving vehicle on the wrong side violating traffic rules in the cantonment area will have to pay minimum Tk 2,000 and maximum Tk 5,000 as fine instead of existing only Tk 50 as fine, he added.

The cabinet secretary said that a provision of maximum Tk 10,000 and minimum Tk 3,000 is also in the draft law for putting obstruction to any work of the government.

Moreover, under the proposed law, drunkenness, begging, gambling as well as movement by exposing the injury marks and distorted organs of the body and carrying meat openly and leaving stool and urine openly in the cantonment area would be considered as punishable offences, he said.

The cabinet secretary said for such offences up to Tk 20,000 could be fined.

Replying to a question, he said that the authorities concerned could sentence anyone in default of paying this fine.

Alam said the cabinet also Okayed a proposal for ratification of ‘The Agreement between the Republic of San Marino and Bangladesh on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations’ between the two countries.

The cabinet also adopted a condolence motion at the death of National Academy for Primary Education (NAPE) Director General (DG) Md Fazlur Rahman.

Rahman was killed and four others injured in a road accident in Fatikchhari upazila in Chittagong on Saturday.

Ministers and state ministers concerned attended the meeting, while secretaries concerned were present.