Central team to assess refugee problem
By A Staff Reporter, A high power Central team is arriving in Calcutta from Delhi today (Saturday) for a fresh assessment of the refugee situation in the State.
The team headed by Mr. R. N. Chopra, Joint Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, includes the Joint Secretary of the Union Home Ministry, a joint Secretary of the Union Rehabilitation Ministry and a Deputy Director of the Intelligence Bureau.
In Calcutta, the team will have discussions with Col. P. N. Luthra, Additional Secretary of the Union Rehabilitation Ministry, who has been supervising refugee relief on behalf of the Central Government.
The members of the team are also likely to visit some camps.
Our Special Correspondent in New Delhi adds ; The number of Bangladesh evacuees who have entered India has shot up to 9,587,897.
In spite of the so called amnesty offer the daily average influx during October 23 is 15,500.
Most of these evacuees have taken shelter in West Bengal, the figure on October 27 being 7,229,144 including 2,262,68, who are living with friends and relatives. The number in Tripura is 1,407,416, in Assam, 2,95,090, in Meghalaya, 646,965 and Bihar, 2,282.
Of the evacuees who have arrived in West Bengal 248,742 have been taken to camps in other States while another 93,620 were sheltered in central camps within West Bengal
Reference: Hindustan Standard, 30.10.1971