br○○ বাংরাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ দ্বাদশ খন্ড শিরোনাম সুত্র তারিখ বাংলাদেশ থেকে আগত শরণার্থীদের সম্পকে__ভারতের লোকসভার ২৪ মে,১৯৭১ প্রধানমন্ত্রীর বিবৃতি কার্যবিবরণী STATEMENT RE. SITUATION IN BANGLADESH PRADHAN MANTRI, PARMANU UR] A MANTRI, GRIH MANTRI TATHA SOOCHANA AUR PRASARAN MANTRI (SHRIMATI INDIRA GANDHI); Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in the seven weeks since Parliament recessed, the attention of the entire country has been focused on the continuing tragedy in Bangladesh. Hon’ble Members will recall the atmosphere of hope, in which we met in March. We all fell that our country was poised for rapid, economic advance and a more determined attack on the age-old poverty of our people. Even as we were settling down to these new tasks, we have been engulfed by a new and gigantic problem, not of our making. On the 15th and 16th May, I visited Assam, Tripura and West Bengal, to share the suffering of the refugees from Bangladesh, to convey to them the sympathy and support of this House and the people of India and to see for myself the arrangements which are being made for their care. I am sorry it was not possible to visit other camps this time. Every available building, including schools and training institution, has been requisitioned. Thousands of tents have been pitched and temporary shelters are being constructed as quickly as possible in the 335 camps which have been established so far, in spite of our best efforts, we have not been able to provide shelter to all those who have come across, and many are still in the open. The district authorities are under severe strain. Before they can cope with those, who are already here, 60,000 more are coming across every day. So massive a migration, in so short a time, is unprecedented in record history. About three and a half million people have come into India from Bangladesh during the last eight weeks. They belong to every religious persuasion-Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist and Christian. They come from every social class and age group. They are not refugees in the sense we have understood this word since partition. They are victims of war who have sought refugee from the military terror across our frontier. Many refugees are wounded and need urgent medical attention. I saw some of them in the hospitals I visited in Tripura and West Bengal. Medical facilities in all our border States have been stretched to, breaking point. Equipment for 1,100 new hospital beds has been rushed to these States, including a 400 bed mobile hospital, generously donated by the Government of Rajasthan. Special teams of surgeons, physicians, nurses and public health experts have been deputed to the major camps. Special water supply schemes are executed on the highest priority and preventive health measures are being undertaken on large scale. In our sensitive Border States, which are facing the brunt, the, attention of the local administration has been diverted from normal and development work to problems of camp administration, civil supplies and security. But our people have put the hardships of the refugees above their own, and have stood firm against the attempts of Pakistani agentprovocateurs to cause communal strife. I am sure this fine spirit will be maintained.
