Malda Training Diary - Administrative Training Institute

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Kutubsahar materials will go to Nachol area by truck. Roofing materials like polythene are
coming direct to Dacca from abroad.
Roy Choudhury & Rathin Kar came with me, the latter practising driving. We went &
returned via Bamangola as the road is better. Kar told us his experiences during the flood,
working under Mr. De & how he has gained in self-confidence & got excellent training under
his guidance. He was put in charge of transhipment of relief materials when all bridges &
roads were gone. That is when he realised the terrific power a Dy. Magistrate wields & had
an interesting brush with the army & reporters. Kar warned me against talking freely to the
T.O. as he never keeps confidences.
In the Treasury I sat with the Accountant and the Treasurer. Learnt how bills are passed: the
total, the major head & minor head, are checked, advice is made out & this is sent to SBI
while the party gets back the bill for presentation at SBI. The bank daily sends back a scroll
showing receipts from Treasury payment, which is checked with the list of advices sent. The
Dy. Accountant does this as well as compiles the daily account statements of each head each
day from the various clerks. On 1 st the accounts go to AG.
For stamps, the major head is Fourteen written as XIV for receipts & 14 for payments. After
receiving the demand slip from vendors, the Treasurer makes out the indent for the stamps
needed in the register & submits it to T.O. who then opens the Double Lock. Single Lock
does not exist in Malda [keeping 1 month’s estimated stock out of the Double Lock].
The DM told me it was not required that I stay Treasury all day. After an hour or two I could
proceed on other duty. Also, an officer is being sent by SDO Nawabganj to take receipt of
relief materials from us formally. We will provide the transport & send it direct to Porsha if
so decided. I have asked 4 trucks to report at Habibpur, but I find due to lack of a godown
none of the trucks can be unloaded here & made free for Habibpur!
Roy Choudhury & I prepared a panel of 20 from the candidates interviewed, of these we took
4 from those working on daily basis as umedar peons already, 2 from Employment Exchange,
and 14 from the evacuee surplus cl. IV staff. The interview marks were given to the DM for
confidential filing.
The din of these pigs under my window grows worse every night with the piglets squealing to
suckle the sow. Horribly raucous and smelly. Cold water is the only treatment to drive them
away momentarily. Future probationers staying here please note! I got this advice from the
ASP’s wife.
The FCI people are leaving the DB and moving in with Roy Ch. in his “mess” [C.T.O.’s
residence].
10.15 p.m.: Bhuto Babu just came with Fazlur Rahman (ex Air Force) of Sibganj. The plan
is:-
1) Shelter materials and also Roofing materials if available of Kutubsahar to Nachol.
Shelter materials and also Roofing materials if available of Habibpur to Porsha.
Shelter materials and also Roofing materials if available of others to Sibganj.
Nachol to start last of all. At present use 20 trucks for Porsa & Sibganj. At Porsa get Awami
League to call local headmen of Santhals to organise teams for taking the materials.
At Sibganj the materials will be unloaded at various schools where the evacuees are now
staying. The BD Relief officers will also come & pay Rs. 100/- to each for making their huts
on their land.
Coolies for lifting the materials on to trucks here will be provided by the evacuees themselves
[Mr. Rahman will arrange this].
2) Surplus stores of camps be sent direct. Destination to be fixed on Bhuto’s return from
Calcutta where he is going to meet his mother (he has not seen her a year).
He promised to take me to Nachol & show me 2 villages: one totally demolished, the other
depopulated, so that I understand the plight of the people. Shelter materials must be given