The Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) Bill - 2018 was placed in the parliament today keeping provisions of fine and jail term for defying BADC notices and damaging its property.

Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury placed the bill in the House and later it was sent to the respective parliamentary standing committee for further examination.

The committee has been asked to submit its report before the parliament within 10 days.

According to the bill, anyone found for disobedience to the notice of the BADC will have to pay a fine of Tk 10,000. The offender will have to pay Tk 50 every day as fine if he or she commits the same mistake for the second time.

It is stated in the proposed bill that if any boundary wall or any establishment of the BADC is damaged, the responsible person will be jailed for at least six months or he or she will have to pay Tk 10,000 as fine or may have to face both punishments.

The same punishment will be applicable if anyone grabs land owned by the BADC, according to the bill.

Under the proposed law, a 16-member Board of Directors will be formed and the board members will hold meeting after every three months to oversee the enforcement of the law.

The BADC Act 2018 will replace the East Pakistan Ordinance No 37 of 1961, which was amended in 1975 and 1976.