Cabinet sends back draft amendment

The cabinet yesterday sent back the draft of the Vested Property Retuned (Amendment) Act-2015 for further scrutiny by the law and land ministries.

At the meeting, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and some of her cabinet colleagues expressed surprise over the inclusion of a provision in the draft act which was earlier omitted by the cabinet.

Meeting sources said as an official concerned informed the meeting that the inclusion of "Kha" list of vested properties was made in the draft law following field-level land officials' demands, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury castigated the official and said, "It's a shame for them."

In the face of opposition from rights activists, the government cancelled the list "Kha", and issued two circulars in this regard in October 2013 and May 2014, asking all authorities to treat all "Kha" properties as any other normal property.

In 2011, the list "Kha" was made including properties declared as vested but which were not under the government's possession. Both lists with "Ka" involving about two lakh acres of land and "Kha" about four lakh acres were published.

Primary and Mass Education Minister Mustafizur Rahman Fizar, Law Minister Anisul Huq, Information Minister Hasanul Huq Inu and State Minister for Youth and Sports Biren Sikder criticised the inclusion of "Kha" list in the draft act, the sources added.

Fizar, who was a former state minister for land, told the cabinet that in no circumstances the list "Kha" could be included in the draft law. Any discussion or amendment to the law could be made over the list of "Ka" of vested properties.

He said personnel at the offices of assistant commissioners (AC-land) continue to harass people when they try to get mutation papers or submit land tax, and for this reason the government cancelled the "Kha" list to ease people's sufferings.

After the discussion, the prime minister directed the law and land ministries to bring back the law after omitting the "Kha" list with necessary amendments in the law so that people could be benefitted, several cabinet ministers told The Daily Star. They, however, spoke on condition of anonymity.

The cabinet yesterday also approved a proposal to ratify the four-nation motor vehicle agreement aiming at boosting regional connectivity.

The "Motor Vehicles Agreement for the Regulation of Passenger, Personal, and Cargo Vehicular Traffic with Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal" (BBIN) will be effective once the other member countries ratify it, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters after the meeting at the Secretariat.

He said a protocol would have to be signed before making the agreement effective. He added that joint secretary-level officials of the four countries would meet in Dhaka on September 8-9 to finalise the deal and protocol.

Replying to a query, the cabinet secretary said the ratification was needed as part of the process to complete the formalities of its effectiveness by respective governments.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader informed the cabinet meeting that a car rally involving the four countries would take place in October this year that would start from Bhubaneswar in India and end in Kolkata via Chittagong and Dhaka, Musharraf said.

On June 8 this year, the cabinet approved the motor vehicle agreement. Transport ministers of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal on June 15 signed framework agreement at a meeting in Bhutan.

The draft agreement has kept a scope for the inclusion of any country subject to the consent of these four countries.

According to the agreement, vehicles will have to take route permits. No vehicle will be allowed take passengers and carry goods midway in any country. The authorised officials of the countries can search the vehicles. The vehicles must have insurances and abide by the prohibited and restricted list of goods of the country they will travel through.

The relevant countries could review the agreement after every three years or before, even could withdraw from the agreement giving a six months' notice.

The cabinet also approved the draft of the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation Act-2015 and Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing Organisation (Amendment) Act-2015 to make the existing law more effective and time-befitting one.

It also approved the "Headquarters Agreement between the Government of Bangladesh and South Asian Regional Standards Organisation (SARSO)", and "Headquarters Agreement between the Government of Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec)".

The cabinet secretary said such agreements were necessary in establishing secretariats of any regional or international organisations like SPARSO and Bimstec in Bangladesh, and under the agreements the organisations concerned would get diplomatic privileges and protection.