Parliament passed the Mongla Port Authority Bill-2022 on Sunday with intent to bring dynamism in the export and import trade.
This new act will also help mobilise revenue for the country's second-biggest seaport.
The act, however, has widened provisions of punishment for polluting the environment, including water.
State minister for shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury moved the bill in the House which was unanimously passed by voice vote.
Opposition lawmakers, including Gono Forum's Mokabbir Khan, Jatiya Party's Fakhrul Imam, Rustam Ali Farazi, Mujibul Huq, Shamim Haider Patwary and Raushan Ara Mannan, and BNP's Rumeen Farhana, sought a public review of the proposed law.
Only then parliament should send the bill to the review committee, they proposed.
But Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury made the opposition's demand null and void by voice vote of the treasury-bench lawmakers.
Piloting the instrument, Mr Khalid said the bill would abolish the Mongla Port Authority Ordinance-1976. Mongla port has been reactivated after massive dredging of the Ghasiakhali channel.
As per the bill, punishment for harming the environment by polluting water, land and coast has been raised to one-year imprisonment or a fine of Tk 500,000 or both.
The existing amount of fines is Tk 50,000.
A new provision says toll evasion, fee and other charges of the port will invite a one-year jail term or a fine of Tk 100,000 or both.
Six months' jail or a fine of Tk 200,000 or both will be imposed in case of any violation of the law.
The punishment is only a six-month jail and a fine of Tk 50,000 under the incumbent ordinance.
According to the bill, there will be a seven-member board to run Mongla port.
The number is four in the existing ordinance.
The authorities can declare the restricted port area through a special order.
They will have a fund comprising government grant, or loan or foreign government or even individual grant. The revenue to be realised as service charges and tolls will also be a part of the fund. The fund may be spent on development, expansion and modernising the port. The port may borrow from any commercial bank or non-banks or government to meet its expenses, if required.
jasimharoon@yahoo.com