Place amended real estate bill to JS
Bela urges JS body
The Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association has urged a parliamentary standing committee to return the Amended Real Estate Development and Management Act 2009 to parliament so that it can be passed during the current parliamentary session.
The Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela) sent a letter to the committee yesterday stating that the Act will prevent unauthorised housing projects, illegal earth filling and land grabbing.
The Act was placed before parliament in September last year and it was then referred to the standing committee on housing and public works.
"Despite demands for a speedy passage, for unknown reasons the parliamentary committee has not yet returned the Act to parliament," reads the letter.
Bela's letter highlights the fact that the cabinet committee has already approved the amended Act.
The Act is designed to protect consumer interests by introducing penal provisions for advertising unauthorised or fraudulent projects.
Bela believes that dishonest housing developers will continue to invest money in illegal housing projects until the Act is passed.
The prime minister's private secretary also received a copy of the letter.
The letter urges the committee to reconsider the provision for arbitration rather than upholding the consumers' right to file a case directly.
It also demands specific provisions against land grabbing.
The president of the Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) recently proposed that the criminal penal procedure be replaced with a civil one and that bail should be available to those charged with land grabbing.
Bela argues that these proposals are inappropriate, given the level of anger expressed by the prime minister and works minister on the issue.
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