Cabinet okays draft law to promote hollow bricks, blocks

The Cabinet on Monday approved the draft of the Brick Manufacturing and Brick Kilns Establishment (Control) Act, 2018 for giving impetus to the manufacturing of environment-friendly hollow-bricks and blocks.

The approval was given at the weekly Cabinet meeting held at the Prime Minister’s Office with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam briefed reporters at the Secretariat after the meeting.The proposed law prohibited setting up of brick kiln without licence. But no licence will be required for manufacturing blocks, he said.The draft law has empowered deputy commissioners to cancel or withhold a licence for 90 days of a brick kiln for violating any of the terms and conditions of the licence or creating environmental hazard.

According to the proposed law, a person may get one year’s imprisonment or pay maximum penalty of Tk 5 lakh or both for violation of the law, the Cabinet Secretary said.Besides, the Cabinet in principle approved the draft of ‘the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Aviation and Aerospace University Act, 2018’ aimed at establishing a higher educational institution for promotion and upgradation of the aeronautical and aerospace studies in the country.

As per the proposed law, Bangladesh Air Force Academy, Flying Instructor School, Flight Safety Institute, Command and Staff Training Institute, Aeronautical Institute and Officers Training Institute will be affiliated with the university, the Cabinet Secretary said.

“It will be a public university and it will be run like the existing public universities,” he said.The President will be the chancellor of the university while a sitting or retired Air Vice Marshal of the Bangladesh Air Force or a person with higher position will be appointed as the Vice-Chancellor for four years on certain conditions, he added.

Also the Cabinet in principle approved the drafts of ‘the Bangladesh National Social Welfare Council Act, 2018’ and adopted two policies — National ICT Policy, 2018 and National Telecommunications Policy, 2018.At the beginning of the Cabinet meeting, Liberation War Affairs Minister and Secretary handed over a book containing 364 rate photographs of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to the Prime Minister.

Public Private Partnership (PPP) Authority of the PMO handed over the gold and silver medals to the Prime Minister which it received from UK-based Partnership Bulletin and newspaper on October 24 last at a function in Sydney, Australia.The Cabinet Secretary said the PPP Authority has received the gold medal in the Government PPP Promoter of the Year category or dialysis PPP Project and silver medal in the Best Social Infrastructure Project category.

Besides, the Civil Aviation Minister and Secretary handed over the ICAO President Certificate to the Prime Minister, which the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) received from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for effective implementation of security measures in Bangladeshi airports.

source: UNB