9. (1) Whenever it appears to the Government that the whole of Bangladesh or any part thereof is affected or threatened by an agricultural pest and that immediate action is necessary, the Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, declare the whole of Bangladesh or such area as affected area and take such remedial and preventive measures in respect of such area as may be necessary. (2) The Government may recover the whole or a part of the costs incurred in connection with the aforesaid remedial and preventive measures from the occupiers or land owners in the affected area or from the persons, who in its opinion, have benefited by such measures. (3) All such costs, if unpaid, shall be recoverable as public demand under the ¹[* * *] Public Demands Recovery Act, 1913.