Oversight committee clears new Bill to give building research body more teeth

Thursday, 18 September 2025 04:58 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Parliament Secretariat yesterday said that the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Governance, Justice and Civil Protection has approved the National Building Research Institute Bill, which will be taken up for its second reading in Parliament on 23 September.

Although the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) has operated since 1984, it has not been established by an Act of Parliament. The proposed Bill seeks to provide the organisation with legal status so it can properly discharge its duties and responsibilities. Officials told the Committee that once the legislation is enacted, legal action could be taken against local authorities that fail to follow its recommendations, especially with regard to landslides.

The Committee also reviewed the 2022 and 2023 Annual Reports of the NBRO and the 2023 and 2024 Performance Reports of the Defence Ministry.

Members had raised questions about the number of firearms issued for crop protection against wild animals. Officials said district-level information was being compiled and compared with Ministry data.