The Cabinet Division has cleared the Local Government (City Corporation) (Amendment) Bill, 2020 with the provision that the mayor and councillors of any city corporation will take respective offices within 15 days into being sworn-in.
Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam disclosed the development to the media after a cabinet meeting on Monday.
According to the existing law, the office-bearers of any city corporation are not allowed to take charge until the tenure of the outgoing mayor is over. However, with the new bill, the mayors elect will be able to take office within 15 days of swearing in irrespective of the previous mayor's tenure.
The bill also brought another major charge — holding elections to the city corporation (s) during the last three months of the preceding mayor's tenure, by halving the previous duration of six months.
This bill also minimized the vacation period of the city corporation councillors and mayors. They will now get one-month vacation which was previously three months, said the cabinet secretary.
“The three-month yearly leave for mayor and councillors was curtailed to one month as the cabinet thinks it [three months] is too much. Though they’re public representatives, they have executive and regular functions and financial authority,” said the cabinet secretary.
The cabinet also approved in principle the draft of Bangladesh Biman Corporation (Repeal) Bill, 2020, as the existing Bangladesh Biman Corporation Ordinance 1977 is not required anymore as Bangladesh Biman was turned into a company in 2011.
Though the ordinance is being repealed, the relevant functions described in the ordinance is bestowed upon the company, said Khandker Anwarul Islam.
The cabinet approved the draft of Preferential Trade Agreement to be signed between Bangladesh and Bhutan, while it ratified the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-Border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific.
The cabinet secretary said 18 Bhutanese goods have been enjoying duty-free access to Bangladesh market since 2010, while 90 Bangladeshi products enjoy duty-free access to Bhutanese market. Later, Bhutan sought duty-free access for some more products to the Bangladesh market.
Besides, the cabinet cleared a proposal to celebrate August 8 every year as the birthday of Bangamata Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib at the state-level and include the day in the Ka Serial (list) of the gazette notification issued by the Cabinet Division.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina virtually presided over the meeting, attended by several ministers and the cabinet secretary himself.
