No solution to evacuee problem now in sight
By A Staff Reporter, Bangladesh evacuees in India passed the 102nd day of their existence on Tuesday and nobody knows how long they will stay on. The proposal of sending them back to their homes within six months of their arrival now seems absurd. Streams of evacuees still pour into four border States – West Bengal, Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya – about 70,000 to 80,000 evacuees cross everyday into Indian territory according to a statement recently made by the Union Rehabilitation Minister Mr. Khadilkar.
On July 6, the total number of evacuees stood at about seven million. The unofficial source, however, put the figure much higher. In eight different districts in West Bengal, the evacuees number stands 5,027,755. Until June 22 last, it was 4,551,455- of which 3,138,549 were accommodated in tents and 92,269 had been sent to Mana by special trains and planes. About 14,000 evacuees left for Gaya in Bihar by special trains on July 5.
A problem State like West Bengal had been burdened with the refugee problem since the 50s. But this time a different type of refugees people fighting for freedom movement are now forced to leave their country following genocide by the troops of Yahya Khan. Since the Bangladesh movement began on March 25, people started coming inside India for shelter. According to a statement by the Union Rehabilitation Minister in Rajya Sabha on June 21, the total number of evacuees who came to India was 5,923,594. On June 4, it was 4,738,054- in WB 2,065,000, Tripura 381,000, Meghalaya 186,000, Assam 86,000, and Bihar 3,965,- they could be sheltered in tents. At the end of May the figure was WB 2,797,644 (1,422,507 in tents), Assam 1,179,686 (62,087 in tents), Meghalaya 226,937 (171,087 in tents) and Tripura 617,777 (302,777 in tents).
In West Bengal, the registration of the evacuees arrival started on June 12 and the total figure stood at 24,400 of which 7,041 in Bongaon and Basirhat of 24-Parganas, 16,700 in Cooch Behar and the rest spilled over in the border district of Malda, West Dinajpur and Murshidabad. On June 13, the evacuees number rose to 27,033 of which 9,100 in 24 Parganas. On April 20, the number jumped up at 213,100 – of which 36,000 in Malda and 35,000 in 24-Parganas. On May 26, the figure was 2,787, 798 of which were 425,430 in tents in 24-Parganas, 179,250 in tents in Malda and 187,755 in tents in Coochbehar. On May 29, the figure went up to 3,035,241 on June 18, it was 4,488,264 (646,683 in 24-Parganas, 97,903 in West Dinajpur, 458,209 in Coochbehar and 162,325 in Jalpaiguri. They could be accommodated in tents, but a larger number remained outside).
Impossibility of housing these vast numbers of evacuees in tents and elsewhere put the Government in a dilemma to tackle this gigantic problem. Initially, 430 reception centers were opened in different border areas (Bongaon 23, Bashirhat 15, Barasat 10, Nadia 35, Murshidabad 66, Malda 57, West Dinajpur 83, Jalpaiguri 37, Coochbehar 100, Darjeeling 8 and the rest other areas). 6,508 tents were supplied. 1610 blankets, 5186 packets of powdered milk, 2,549 grams of bleaching powder and 50,986 tarpaulins. But they could hardly help two million evacuees. As a matter of fact a larger section of the evacuees had to stay in the open air. They moved into the district towns and even into Calcutta in search of shelter. About one lakh of evacuees still lead a house-boat life on the bank of the Ichamati without the pleasure of usual house-boat life.
Filthy atmospheres prevail in all the camps, where the people have been accommodated beyond capacity. Poor sanitation and scarcity of drinking water – all together create squalor in the entire locality. Soon cholera and other contagious diseases broke out in the form of epidemic in all the eight districts in the State. Until June 29,26,239 people were attacked with cholera of which 3,766 were killed. But on July 6, cholera took the toll of 4,238 lives including children and women. There had to be a mass burial. Over 2.8 million evacuees were inoculated against cholera. But even then quite a large number of cholera patients died. Cholera apart diphtheria was another menace to the evacuees. In Tripura and West Bengal so far 38 people have died of diptheria. But as several voluntary missions both Indian and from abroad came forward to render medical assistance to them the situation was put under control.
Besides the problems of health and hygiene and housing, inadequate supply of food was another handicap to the State machinery to deal with the evacuees problem Irregularity in supply of daily dole in kind – 400 grammes of rice, 100 grammes of pulses and 300 grammes of vegetables to these evacuees in the camps caused some dissatisfaction among them. West Bengal has asked the Center for 200,000 tonnes of rice and wheat only for meeting the evacuees’ needs in addition to their demand for 625,000 tonnes of foodstuff. Free medical aids, utensils and other things are given to the evacuees in addition to ration worth Rs. 2 per head daily at flat rate.
Initially the Centre sanctioned Rs. 132 crores scheme on the presumption that the evacuees would not be over 2.5 million and they would return to their country by October next, which at this stage appears to be quite impossible. The continued influx swamped that estimate and the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees and Rehabilitation, Mr. Charles Mace during his visit to the refugee-burdened areas on May 9 and 10 was told by the Union Government that Rs. 300 crores would be needed to look after the evacuees not exceeding three millions. But this too proved impractical following the steady flow of evacuees into West Bengal and other States. The Government now estimates Rs. 300 crores for the relief and rehabilitation of eight million of evacuees. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees and Rehabilitation, Prince Sadaruddin Aga Khan who visited the West Bengal border on June 16 was given an understanding accordingly. In response to India’s appeal to other countries of the World relief materials worth about 30 crores were received though there was a promise of Rs. 130 crores from US, UK, Canada, France, Japan, Netherland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
But as the position stands, the West Bengal Government is now really in a fix as to what to do with the evacuees who have already shuttered social and economic life in all the eight districts. Law and order problems in these areas are a threat to the Function of the Government. Pakistani agents are found active in whipping up communal and linguistic passions by exploiting the dormant social tension. Different political parties of the State are trying to utilize these innocent people for their vested interest. Both the Center and the State Government find themselves quite helpless before this situation. It is now clear to all that only the political solution of Bangladesh will solve the entire evacuees problem.
Reference: Hindustan Standard, 08.07.1971