The government is finalising the ‘Formalin Control Act’ with provisions for as much as life imprisonment for spraying food with the deadly chemical.
Published : 22 Jun 2014, 10:28 PM
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed revealed the information on Sunday while briefing reporters at the Secretariat on his recent US visit.
The Cabinet in November last year approved in principle the draft Formalin Control Act 2013 with provisions for a maximum 10 years of imprisonment.
However, the law is yet to be finalised and passed in Parliament.
But this would be done very soon, said Tofail. “Unlawful use of formalin would be prevented after the Act is passed.”
Additional commerce secretary ATM Murtoza Reza Chowdhury said formalin had been defined in details in the new law after discussions with the teachers of BUET and Dhaka University and scientists of BCSIR.
Formalin is usually used in laboratories, hospitals, tanneries, textiles and hatcheries. But the chemical in Bangladesh is being surreptitiously used in perishable food stuff to make them appear fresh with harmful effects on the human body.
In view of the situation, Dhaka Metropolitan Police have started an anti-formalin drive recently and set up a number of checkpoints at different entry points to the capital.
Last year, Cabinet Secretary Muhammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said the new law would regulate the chemical’s production, import, transport, stockpile and sell and usage.