The government has promulgated the "Control of Land Utilisation and Farm Land Protection Ordinance, 2026" introducing penalties of up to three years' imprisonment or Tk 1 million in fines or both for misuse of land, including agricultural land.
The Ordinance stipulates that cultivated land must not be destroyed under any circumstances. However, its provisions will not apply to the hill districts of Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachhari.
The President of Bangladesh issued this ordinance on January 19, while the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs division of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs has published a gazette notification.
Under the new law, construction of any structures on land used for two or three crop cycles will be prohibited.
According to the Ordinance, there will be six months' simple imprisonment or Tk 0.1 million in fines or both for changing land zoning without prior approval from the government, while one year's simple imprisonment or Tk 0.2 million fine or both for using agricultural land for non-agriculture purposes without government approval.
Constructing commercial, residential, resorts and industries or similar infrastructures on agricultural land, water bodies and marshy land will carry a penalty of two years' simple imprisonment or Tk 0.4 million or both.
In addition, using, selling or transporting topsoil from farmland or soil from hills or water bodies for brick kilns or other purposes will be punishable by two years' simple imprisonment or a fine of Tk 0.5 million or both.
The ordinance further states that the government would make land utilisation zoning maps across the country and establish a database to preserve up-to-date land zoning information. Land zoning maps will be prepared by categorizing the country into 18 zoning areas.
Bangladesh lost 1 per cent of its net cropped area, declining to 1.983 million acres in 2023 from 2.008 million acres in 2020, the sharpest fall in a decade, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com
