Based on the opinion of citizens and stakeholders, the draft ‘Land Crime Prevention and Redress Act, 2022’ has been recommended to be sent to the Cabinet for approval with the provision of instant punishment. Concurring with the recommendation, Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury said it was essential to provide speedy legal redress or equitable relief to the injured party by speedy disposal of cases is imperative to ensure justice.
Along with many of the recommendations, the aforementioned recommendation also came up at an inter-ministerial meeting chaired by Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury aimed at finalizing the draft of the land ministry proposed ‘‘Land Crime Prevention and Redress Act, 2022’’ held in the meeting room of the land ministry on Wednesday. Land Secretary Mohammad Mustafizur Rahman was present.
Addressing the meeting, Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury further said that one of the objectives of the Land Crime Prevention and Redress Act is to ensure ownership and possession of real owners, prevent the illegal occupation of land and prevent related crimes and ensure speedy remedy.
The land minister said the law is enacted for the benefit of the citizens. Our first responsibility is to protect our priced land property. Therefore, we should all have a clear idea about the relevant laws. It is also important to ensure that the citizens of the country get proper information on legal issues.
The meeting had fruitful discussions on the views of citizens and stakeholders on the draft of the law. Based on the recommendations received through discussion, the preliminary draft will be amended as necessary and the revised draft will first be sent to the Ministry of Public Administration for language standardization. The next phase of legislation will begin by sending the standardized draft to the Cabinet Division later. On January 19 this year, its primary draft (bill) aimed at enacting the Land Crime Prevention and Redress Act was published on the website of the Ministry of Land for everyone’s opinion.
It was informed at the meeting that there was an unprecedented response from the citizens and stakeholders of the country since it was opened for opinion. More than two hundred and fifty categorical opinions have been received from the organization and individual levels. In addition, there are more than a thousand brief comments from different places from the individuals.
Among the issues discussed based on these views are the crimes related to illegal occupation of private land, Khas land, and government land and various aspects of its redress, prevention, and punishment, as well as the socio-economic and environmental impact of illegal and arbitrary use of land.
