Fisheries and Livestock Minister Narayan Chandra Chanda placed the Bill and it was sent to the respective parliamentary standing committee for further examination. The committee was asked to submit the report within three days.
Currently, there is no law to check the intrusion of any disease or harmful bacteria through fish import.
As per the proposed law, the Fisheries Department will act as the Fish Quarantine Authority to monitor the import of any fish or aquaculture species by water, road, air and other routes.
If any individual or company imports fish or fish products without permission, they will face minimum one-year and maximum seven-year jail or fine of maximum Tk 5 lakh or both.
The offence under the law would be considered as non-cognisable and bail-able.
Metropolitan magistrate, judicial magistrate and executive magistrate will have the authority to deal with the offence. However, no court will accept any case without written complaint of the quarantine officer.
Police, RAB, Coast Guard, BGB, port authority and civil aviation authority, Bangladesh Railway, shipping agencies and other organisations concerned will have the authority to prevent any activity detrimental to the law and help the fisheries officials to execute the law.