Malda Training Diary - Administrative Training Institute

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Rs.10 or 11. With a little designing, at Rs.12. Better quality than Nadia saris which capture
market owing to lower price. I was told the Gangarampur saris are even better (W. Dinajpur).
Many of this Sahapur people are relations of Harinagar. They wanted grant @Rs.500/- each
for getting thread-rolling drums, otherwise in rains they can’t proceed winding the thread in
the open round beams of looms. Each drum costs Rs.400. One loom is Rs.500. I made DIO
draw up a draft petition for them to CM, concerned minister, Mr De and DM, asking that
earlier practice of buying Rs.5000/- worth cloth from them by Small Industries Corpn be restarted;
the rural industries scheme be begun, ensuring free flow of loans. They also used to
make plain silk cloth but lack of market has ruined production.
On way back we stopped to see the 100 looms being made at Bastuhara Sayahak Samiti for
Harinagar by Bansilal Sohni.
After this we went to mango processing cooperative. The Executive Officer told us the
history. A capital of Rs.5 lakhs out of which the secy had embezzled over 1 lakh and set up a
rival business. At present it is breaking even and beginning export to Europe, specially
W.Germany of one inch slices of mango dipped in brine. Trouble is it is a very slow moving
product and can’t be sold fast as it is consumed slowly. I tasted the tomato sauce and mango
chutney. No artificial ingredients, wholly genuine. Also saw the process. A boiler was bought
in 1967 as also a vacuum machine for canning, but demand is not enough to warrant such
massive production as would need a boiler. However, he intends to begin canning next year.
After this we went to the GoI training institute for carpenters and blacksmiths and saw what
beautiful designs can be made on lathes. The trouble is that people learn here but then can’t
get jobs.
Back in office found Bimal Chakravarty, BDO Old Malda and asked him about Sunday’s
incident. His version, and the most dependable one, was that the trouble arose partly out of
Ghosh’s habit of speaking extra loudly out of anxiety to convince and partly out of language
barrier. Ghosh had put forward difficulties and said that TR dealers “der aro somoy ditey
hobey” meaning “should” and not “must” as DM understood. DM flared up and said that
when the CM asks him to do something, he does not argue but sees it is done, whatever the
difficulties. So one should not talk irresponsibly like a street urchin. DM had also charged
Hcpur-II BDO with letting him down over something he had told CM. This was disproved.
Later, other BDOs repeated Ghosh’s difficulties and DM accepted their contentions. Bad
presentation was cause of the trouble.
24.5.1972
Work done
Routine office work.
In the afternoon, DM ordered P.Chakraborty, myself, 6 assistants and 2 peons with 7 armed
police to proceed to Cal at 8 a.m. tomorrow to bring ballot papers. The police will provide a
prison van and we will take a jeep.
I am to clarify the question of payment for 21 evacuee drivers who should have been
discharged on 30 April but were given notice on 25 May due to late receipt of GO ordering
retention of only 9 drivers till 31 May.
25.5.1972
Left Malda only at 9.30 a.m. as DM wanted to give me certain personal chores in Cal to do
for him. The van was a rickety affair and reached Cal after 3 breakdowns at 11 p.m. We got
there at 8.30 p.m. due to jeep breakdown at Behrampore in a very heavy downpour.
Extremely fine weather. We took lichis from the gardens lining the road at Beniagram. No
cheaper than Cal (Rs.3 per 100).
26.5.1972
Work done
Checking ballot papers.