Maximum 2yrs jail for selling banned, tainted fish

block
Staff Reporter :
The Cabinet on Monday endorsed a draft law that proposes maximum two years of jail and Tk 5 lakh fine, or both, for selling banned or tainted fish.
The draft law prohibits importing, preserving, selling, marketing and produce of banned fish or fish contaminated with harmful elements to human health. The draft law “The Fisheries Quarantine Bill, 2017′ was approved at the regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at the Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam after the meeting said various diseases spread in many ways in the country through the import of fry and fish products.
The government is formulating the law as it wants to control the spread of diseases through fish as well as regulate the import of banned fish like ‘African Magur’ and ‘Piranha’, he said.
The Cabinet Secretary said, maximum two years of imprisonment or Tk 5 lakh fine or both could be awarded for violation of the law.
Shafiul Alam said no person or organisation will be able to import fish poops, fish products and such packaging goods without the prior permission of the Department of Fisheries. The import of such products without permission will be a punishable offence, he added.
He said quarantine will be defined as keeping isolated and separated fish, fry, fish products or packaging of such products imported from abroad or keeping under observation or confining such products as per the directives of the Fisheries Quarantine Officer in places specified by the government for a particular period of time.
Besides, under the new law, the government could establish a quarantine station at any land or river port or airport of the country through a gazette notification, he added.
As per the draft law, the government can constitute an authority to give suggestions over fisheries quarantine, he said.
The Cabinet Secretary said, “A national commission will be formed under this law which will make necessary recommendation for fish import. All sea and land ports will have a detection centre to detect any banned or contaminated fish items.”
block