Malda Training Diary - Administrative Training Institute

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Refugees are getting Rs.3 per head, & Rs.1.50 for minors (up to 8 years) [this is @ Rs.1 a day
ration: 79 n.p. Rice & Dal; 21 n.p. cash; 15 days is being given]. Passage money Rs.2 up to
those within 10 miles of border; Rs.5 for 10–15 miles, Rs.10 for 15 to 30 miles; Rs.1 for
minors. Two batches: One to Nawabganj and Shibganj, other to Singabad. Ending by 31 st
January. They are going by special trains & trucks.
Note that though today was a half-day for all clerks & peons, none of the officers observed it.
They all worked right up to end of normal office hours (DM, of course, continues till late
night).
Note willpower of DM. Used to smoke 70 cigarettes daily. On his son remarking on this, he
stopped it overnight totally.
16.1.1972 (Sunday)
Work done
Watched Malda vs. W.Dinajpur Cricket Match.
Called on District Judge Sri S.K Chakravarty, and the SDO at their residences.
Studied History of Malda from District Gazetteer.
Persons met
Manoranjan Dey, BDO English Bazar.
Dinesh Biswas – Office Suptdt. Hails from Chittagong. Brought up in Burma; had huge rice
mill; ruined in war; came to Dacca, & then to Bengal after partition, in Commissioner’s
establishment. 31 years service.
S.K Chakravarty – Dist. Judge. In 1969 was called to National Academy of Administration
on the Law faculty. Did not go owing to family problems. Hails from Sylhet. Came here in
June 1971.
Information gathered
SDO told me of Malda’s problems.
Agricultural Economy – i) Sericulture, ii) Jute & Mango.
3 rivers – a) Pagla, b) Mahananda, c) Kalindri, all linked to Padma –> floods.
Hence taming these required – i) embankments, ii) re-excavation of beds. Farakka Barrage is
of no help here.
3 types of land: a) BARINDA: slopes up – probably part of ancient hills. Grows Aman crops
chiefly.
b) TAL: plains. “Aush” crops.
c) DIARA: alluvial, sandy. “Kalai” chief produce, made into chapatis – staple food of people
here. Here early crops alone succeed, as depends on early rain & ruined by floods.
Scope for silk industry, mango-processing industry, jute industry exists. Power supply from
rivers & Bokaro. No incentives are given. Pisciculture & fishermen rehabilitation in “Beels”
possible. From Jute paper can be made – Newsprint possible.
A circular dam exists in Harischandrapur, leaving out (8+1/2) anchals [Congress Government
did so because of influential congressites in that region]. Result: this area stays dry while the
rest is under 10 ft. water in floods. Hence people breach the dam out of anger. SDO suggests
building artificial canals with high embankments along natural paths of flow that exist & can
be dug out & link to Kalindri. Have sluice gates at junction with Kalindri & shut these as
water in canals drops to a safe level. Thus: -
1. Drains entire Harishchandrapur region.
2. Pisciculture in canals possible.
3. Source of irrigation – Rabi crops.
But local needs are not considered in plans. Acute need for district planning based on felt
needs. Malda land is low-producing – 4 mds per bigha in Barinda vs. 30 mds in Burdwan.
Proper irrigation + IADP can remedy it.
District Judge has hardly moved around Malda; many threats vs. him by anti-social elements!