Balumahal law to address unlawful activities of illegal sand extractors

Staff Reporter :
Emphasising on food security, environmental protection as well as smart and quarry management, the Cabinet has approved the draft ‘Balumahal and Soil Management (Amendment) Act-2022’ (Sand Quarry and Soil Management (Amendment) Act-2022).
The much needed draft law was approved in the Secretariat on October 31.
Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury has instructed to quickly send the draft land-related laws to the Parliament to pass it in line with land services digitalization.
The government has taken initiatives to amend the ‘Balumahal and Soil Management Act, 2010’ to solve the complexities relating to the leasing of sand quarries, to planned extraction and marketing of sand and soil from quarries, its control, to curb the crimes committed and to set-up up-to-date sand quarry management system.
The state exchequer earns an average of Taka 100 to Tk 150 crore annually from sand quarry (Balumahal) lease payments, he added.
The proposed law has the provisions to prohibit the extraction of underground sand or soil if it causes damage to land, to protect the privately owned fertile agricultural land and, to conserve fertile top-soil of agricultural land, the minister said.
Apart from this, the proposed law has ensured that no sand or soil should be extracted from any privately owned land that causes damage to the environment or causes damage, erosion, or landslide of the surrounding land.
It has also inserted the provision of speedy online leasing execution, and has also provision of using satellite data, or installing CC cameras or conducting of biannual digital surveys for monitoring sand extraction activities and quantity.
The provision of extracting and managing sand or soil from non-leased sand quarries and other areas for government development activities or important public works, noncompulsory of hydrographic survey outside the prescribed waterway and lifting of sand/soil from the non-leased sand quarries in the method of collecting Khas are also included.
Some of the provisions which are also included to prevent the misdeeds of unscrupulous folks are the blacklisting of individuals or institutions violating the leasing conditions, prosecuting the unlawful activities of illegal sand extractors, confiscating assets used in criminal activities, and recovering compensation, etc. The provision of compulsory repairing of damaged road due to the transportation of lifted sand by sand transporter or impose of compensation on sand transporter for that reason is also included here, the minister said.
The final draft will be prepared and sent to the Parliament Secretariat for taking necessary proceedings to introduce the Bill in the Parliament for enacting the law.
The Ministry of Land is focusing on establishing sustainable land management by introducing digital services as well as revising laws and regulations, and drafting new laws where applicable.
Apart from the aforementioned law, some of the significant new laws working to include Land Crime Prevention and Redress Act, Land Reforms Act, Land Development Tax Act, Hats and Bazars Establishment and Management Act and Land Ownership and Use Act.