Army not to take charge of evacuees camps
By A Staff Reporter, The Army in all likelihood will not take charge of the administration of Bangladesh evacuee camps the Chief Minister Mr. Ajoy Mukherjee told reporters in Calcutta on Sunday after the Army chief General Manekshaw visited him in his Belvedere residence. He said that arrangements were being made to send the evacuees form West Bengal to other states by big transport planes, a few of which would shortly be available.
It may be recalled that during their talks with State Ministers the Central leaders had always given them to understand that the administration of evacuee camps inside West Bengal would be handed over to the army. The Prime Minister during her stay in Calcutta on Saturday said nothing to the contrary. The State Government had always pleaded its inability to “pun and pun” the evacuees camp.
The Chief Minister said that General Manekshaw’s visit was in the nature of a “courtesy call” but “we discussed the Bangladesh evacuee problem for about half an hour”. He said, “I have given him a total picture of this situation”. The GOC-in-C Bengal area, Lt. General J. S. Aurora was present at the meeting. Earlier the General had discussions with local Army heads at Fort William
The Chief Minister admitted that the removal of evacuees from border areas had become difficult and only huge transport planes could affect “speedy transit” With the Army reluctant to man the evacuee camps the administration of evacuee camps would now be entirely a civil responsibility, Mr. Mukherjee said that the Centre had agreed to expand the “special cell” of the Union Rehabilitation Ministry now functioning in Calcutta to cope with the administrative problem. The State Government he said, would only be concerned with the recruitment of officers and men for the purpose as “Bengalees would be better suited to handle the evacuees from Bangladesh”
Mr. Mukherjee said that the Center had accepted the State Government’s proposal for dispersal of Bangladesh evacuees.
But acceptance of the proposal alone would not solve the problem. It needed herculean efforts to accomplish the stupendous task.
Mr. Mukherjee said that Saturday’s discussion on the evacuees issue with the Prime Minister was satisfactory. UNI.
The Center was seized of the problem and was trying to mobilize and harness all available resources to meet the unprecedented situation created by the continuous influx. Two senior State Government officers would help the Center in preparing schemes to the extent possible Mr. Mukherjee said.
He said despite assurances of all assistance by the Center there was no scope for compliance.
The Army chief, who arrived in Calcutta by an Air Force plane in the morning from Bombay, left for Delhi in the evening.
PTI adds: About 50,000 East Bengal evacuees now in India are likely to be shifted to temporary camps in Orissa Mr. Brundaban Nayak Orissa’s Minister for Rehabilitation, said at Bhubaneswar on Saturday night.
Mr. Nayak said that a senior official of the Government of India recently visited some of the areas of Mayurbhanj district to select suitable sites for putting up temporary camp.
According to indications given by the Union Government official, the shifting of the evacuees might commence next week.
The officer had selected the Badampahar area in the district, where accommodation was immediately available for 30,000 people. Temporary camps might also be set up at Amards Road and elsewhere in the district, he added.
The State Government, however, has not received any formal communication from the Centre in this regard so far.
According to present understanding arrangements would be made to shelter these evacuees in temporary camps for two rainy seasons. Mr. Nayak said.
Our Baripada correspondent adds : The Rehabilitation Department of the State Government has decided to open two refugee transit relief camps at the DISCO’s abandoned mining colonies at Gurumchiganj and Sulaipat in Mayurbhanj in order to provide accommodation for 30,000 evacuees from Bangladesh.
The district administration in Mayurbhanj has also played this decision; it is learnt from dependable sources. Necessary steps to repair the running colonies at the Gurunohisani and Sulaipat iron mincheads, including the water supply arrangements, have already been taken up, he report adds.
Meanwhile the Jana Sangh leader Mr. Balraj Madhok today warried the Union Government against dispersal of Bangladesh refugees to other parts of the country.
It would only complicate the situation and, therefore, must be avoided, he said.
Mr. Madhok said that if there “are refugees who do not want to go back to their homes steps should be taken to settle them in Jammu and Kashmir, which is very much under populated.”
Reference: Hindustan Standard, 10.09.1971