Malda Training Diary - Administrative Training Institute

Page 169 of 169
4. Diesel is acutely required for powering the 106 irrigation pumps; otherwise the
prospect of a decent ‘boro’ rice crop is bleak. This year only about 50% of the
land has produced a good crop, so that the western side of the river, ferried across
on boats, and be carried by Further, if the fuel is brought via Agra-
Harishchandrapur, the cost comes to about Rs. 100 less than if it is routed via
Rajshahi.
5. Food-grains are the other major problem in this area. This may also be supplied, if
possible, through the Agra-Harishchandrapur route.
The D.M. told me that they had a meeting at Rajshahi on 10-02-72. P.O.L and food
grains were being sent to Rajshahi, Nawabganj and Natore from where Porsha could obtain
quota. BDO Habibpur was to be advised to draw up programme for despatch of shelter
materials up to the river ghat. SDO Nawabganj would send an officer to receive the materials
from us. Transport was to be provided from our end. Sri Rupendra Roy Chowdhury, alias
Bhutu Babu of Nawabganj, would do the liaison with us, as arranged with SDO Nawabganj
and D.C Rajshahi and Dr. Mishbabul Hak, Secretary Awami League, Nawabganj and
Chairman of the sub-divisional Relief Committee.
Bhutu Babu, to whom the D.M. referred, was an amazing man whose exploits read
like extracts from Ripley’s ‘Believe it or Not’. He was a Hindu lawyer of Nawabganj in his
early thirties, holding post-graduate degrees in Islamic and Modern history from the
University of Calcutta and was possibly the most popular Awami League worker in the area.
I was struck by his totally selfless devotion to his country and his people, and the superhuman
energy and organising ability he displayed. Single-handed, without any help from
official quarters, he set up a camp of 580 families of evacuees at Baraghoria in the Sibganj
police station with whatever shelter materials we could supply. When ration supplies did not
arrive on time, and repeated requests to the SDO Nawabganj had no effect, he simply
threatened to prevent the next convoy of food-grain trucks from Malda from proceeding to
Nawabganj, and he promptly received his quota!
Fazlur Rahman, who had been deputed by the Nawabganj Sub-divisional committee
to receive all relief materials from us on their behalf, related a similar incident. He was an
inhabitant of the village Harinagar in Sibganj P.S. which used to be a very prosperous
community of about 500 weavers. All that is left of it now is a mass of rubble. Every building
has been systematically destroyed, including the temples. Miraculously, the straw effigy of
the goddess Lakshmi has emerged unscathed, though the temple itself has been broken down.
We used to urge the villagers not to lose hope, but to set about rebuilding their homes and
look forward to a prosperous future, for the goddess had not deserted them. Rahman had been
the officer-in-charge of Dacca Airport till he had been forced to tender his resignation
through the persistent harassment of the West Pakistani Civil Aviation Regional Manager
who had undertaken a systematic campaign to weed out all Bengalis from the staff. Rahman’s
entire family played a major role in organising the relief work in the Harinagar area. Though
a devoted and indefatigable worker, he lacked Bhutu Babu’s broader vision, and always
wanted me to send everything we had to this area first. I was interested to see how this
gentleman, who was at least ten to fifteen years Bhutu’s senior and a retired officer, used to
take orders from him unhesitatingly and always sought his advice when in any difficulty.
If only I had had similar workers in the Porsha area! Here I found the attitudes very
disappointing. During one of my visits, I found the ex-secretary of the Awami League unit
virulently attacking the Circle Officer (Development) for failing to obtain enough food-grains
for the people. 1300 maunds were lying at Rajshahi, but lack of transport (even bullock-carts
were not available) and controversy over who would bear the transport costs were holding up
everything. There was no effort or willingness to organise funds from local resources, though