| শিরোনাম | সূত্র | তারিখ |
|---|---|---|
| বাংলাদেশের শরনার্থীদের সাহায্যে সকল রাজ্যকে এগিয়ে আসার জন্য পশ্চিম বঙ্গ সরকারের আহ্বান | দি স্টেটসম্যান | ২২ এপ্রিল, ১৯৭১ |
W. BENGAL WANTS ALL STATES TO COME TO THE AID OF
REFUGEES
Centre Promises to bear Entire Relief Expenditure
By Our Special Representative
After taking serious note of the alarming rise in the rte of influx of evacuees from Bangla Desh, the West Bengal Cabinet is understood to have decided on Wednesday to tell the Centre immediately that the State Government just cannot provide food. shelter and health facilitics for them single handed and that the responsibility should be shared by all other States since they also have been supporting the cause of Bangla Desh.
According to our Special Representative in Delhi. Mr. R.K. Khadilkar, Minister of Labor, Employment and Rehabilitation, said there that the Centre would bear the entire expenditure involved in providing relief to the refugees coming from East Bengal.
The State Government’s point of concern was that in a little over 10 days over 273,000 evacuees had crossed over to West Bengal seeking shelter, and that at this rate the total might go much beyond the one million mark soon. Neither the State’s economy nor the Government’s existing resources could cope with this problem.
Even in a normal year, as in 1970, when the total influx of refugees was about 226,000, the State Government had insisted on having the displaced persons dispersed to various centers throughout India within a fortnight of their reporting in the reception centers along the border. This was done mainly keeping in view the problem of accommodation, and the Centre had agreed to that position.
The position according to the State Government, should be treated as much more complicated this time. Most of those who are coming over will not have to be treated as refugees requiring rehabilitation facilities but will have to b fed, sheltered and cared for till such time as conditions in Bangla Desh improve sufficiently to enable them to return.
What the State Government feels now is that the problem of evacuees needs to be treated at the national level and should not be left to be dealt with directly by the West Bengal Government alone. And since all the State Governments are committed to supporting the Bangla Desh cause, they should now be persuaded by the Centre to come forward to share the burden of evacuees.
Gesture Appreciated
The State Government, of course, appreciated the Centre’s gesture in promising full financial compensation to the State Government for the maintenance of the evacuees. But this, West Bengal Government thinks, solves only a small part of the overall problem.
