The Cabinet today approved the drafts of the proposals for constituting two separate laws for formation of metropolitan police forces in Gazipur and Rangpur districts of the country.

The approval was given in the weekly meeting of the cabinet held at Prime Minister’s Office with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Briefing reporters at Bangladesh Secretariat, Cabinet Secretary M Shafiul Alam said the cabinet has given final approval to the drafts of “Gazipur Metropolitan Police Act, 2017” and “Rangpur Metropolitan Police act, 2017” aimed at formation of separate metropolitan police forces in the two cities.

"Formation of the two metropolitan police forces becomes necessary following the establishment of Gazipur and Rangpur City Corporations," Shafiul Alam said.

These two laws have been formulated in the light of other existing metropolitan police acts of the country, he said.

About the punishment under the draft laws, Shafiul Alam said, according to the draft law, police officials are empowered to impose fine in most of the cases for violation of the acts.

A police officer-in-charge could arrest a person for committing a criminal offence before him or issue a notice at the home of a person for any offense.

Any person to be found guilty for teasing women and girls at public places, shopping malls, markets and roads and showing indecent body languages or touching body of a woman would have to face one year jail or fine of taka minimum five thousand and maximum ten thousand or both, the draft proposed.

In this case, concerned judicial magistrate will impose the punishment and Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court would accomplish the task until the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court is established in the two districts.

The cabinet also approved a proposal for ratification of an agreement signed between Bangladesh and Bhutan for avoiding double taxation and tax evasion.