বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ তৃতীয় পত্র
The Deputy Commissioner
In a democratic system, an organisation whose members are equipped with arms and have the power to arrest or otherwise interfere with the liberties of the people, cannot claim complete freedom from supervisory control exercised by an external civilian authority. Such control is indispensable as a safeguard against the misuse or excessive use of the undoubtedly drastic powers which a police force is armed with. The proper approach would be that such civil authority should ultimately be responsible for the maintenance of peace and tranquility, and that the forces in uniform should be the agency through which the objective is to be attained.
It seems reasonable that the supervisory control if the Deputy Commissioner over the police should continue. This control should be a general nature and that, except in times of emergency, there should be no occasion for the Deputy Commissioner to direct the working of the police organisation. In other words, in the day-to-day functioning his organisation and in matters of a routine nature like transfers and postings within his Jurisdiction, the District Superintendent of Police should have full control, except that in matters when the functioning of a particular office is not in accordance with the maintenance of law and order, the Deputy Commissioner may intervene to have appropriate action taken, for example by transfer. The Deputy Commissioner should annually record his views on the performance of the District, Superintendent of Police after receipt from the officer concerned of a note written by him on his performance during the period under review.
Protocol Duties
An aspect of a district officer's work which can be a source of considerable difficulty and embarrassment is the one associated with the protocol duties and functions to be performed when dignitaries visit a district. It appears reasonable to suggest that it should not normally be necessary for the collector or any other district officer to wait upon a visiting dignitary unless his presence is specifically required.
Re-organisation of the District Administration.
The districts in the country vary widely in respect of area and population. The district of Mymensingh has a population of 55,32,318 in 5,060 square miles, while the Chittagong Hill Tracts District has 1,35,134 in 5,093 square miles. The population of Sub-divisions varies largely in population from 1, 91,200 in Meherpur Sub-division to 94.48,540 in Jamalpur Sub-division, and 17,92,804 in the Noakhali Sadar Subdivision. The average size of the population of Sub-divisions varies between 6,00,000 to 10,00,000.
The population of the districts is by and large too vast for sound and effective administration. Even if the administrative staff in bigger districts is suitably reinforced to handle the larger volume of work generated there is little doubt about the fact that there is always an optimum size for a district, beyond which the problems of coordination would tend to make administration lax, inefficient and ineffective. This is highly detrimental to development and welfare programmes. The districts now in existence, have remained administrative units for several decades past. The ratio between the population and the
