বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (দ্বাদশ খণ্ড)/১৪৫
| শিরোনাম | সূত্র | তারিখ |
|---|---|---|
| গারো পাহাড়ের কেন্দ্রীয় ত্রাণ সংস্থা কর্তৃক প্রধানমন্ত্রী কাছে পেশকৃত স্মারকলিপি | প্রচারপত্র | ১২জুন, ১৯৭১ |
MEMORANDUM SUBMITTED TO THE PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA
BY THE CIINTRAL RE3LIEF COMMITTEE OF GARO IIILLS.
SRIMATI INDIRA GANDHI,
PRIME Minister of India.
RESPECTED PRIME MINISTER,
We, on behalf of the people of the Garo Hills, welcome you on your visit to the district. Perhaps never before have we looked forward and eagerly awaited your visit to the district as today when your presence among us on this strategic border is so keenly needed and a waited.
Together with our brothers and sisters all over the country we share in the legitimate pride and proud hope in your brave and progressive leadership of the country and wholeheartedly pledge our co-operation in your efforts to give our country a new image of strength and social justice to our people. You have again and again demonstrated your genuine concern, friendship and solicitude for the people of this region, We pray that your special care for the people of this area will ever grow.
Todat however owing to the aggressive acts of the Army of West Pakistan of oppression and wanton outrage on the unarmed civil population of East Bengal and of naked aggression on our own borders, more recently, a difficult situation has arisen in our district. All along the one hundred and forty-four miles of international border, people have been crossing into our district since the start of the pak army depredations on the 25th March, 1971. The influx is still continuing and to date about two lakhs of evacuees have entered into this district, there by swelling its population of about four lakhs to six.
Coming in the wake of the wake of the mass influx of evacuees in 1964 some of whom are still in camps within the district this has imposed a severe strain on the people and the administration owing to the long and tenuous lines of communication.
As it is, the district is almost entirely covered by hills with only small patches of flat land in the border areas, most of which under Cultivation. This committee has been grappling with the problem of finding enough suitable land tents or putting up temporary shelters for the evacuees.
We believe our Chife Minister, Captain Williamson Sangma, has already apprised your Government of the critical situation now prevailing in the district the lack of flat land, the difficult communications posed by a poor road system, the fact that our district is deficit in food requiring a very large part of its normal requirements to be brought from outside, and the occurrence of floods and landslides in the monsoon cutting off communications makes the presence of an evacuee population equal to half the population of the district an immensely difficult problem. We cannot therefore but stress the need to move the bulk of evacuees from the district as the continued temporary stay of such a large number of evacueces from the district as the continued temporary stay of such a large number of evacuees has created many social, economic and other problems.
Besides, the influx of so many evacuees into the border areas has brought about great dislocation in the lives of the people living there. To this was added the repeated aggression by the Pak army into our territory forcing our border villagers to flee abandoning their cultivation and other means of livelihood and making them evacuees in their own land. For our unfortunate brothers and sisters who have uprooted from the border villages we would request the special consideration of your Government for relief and other assistance.
We humbly reiterate our support to your stand on the problem as stated in your speeches on the floor of the parliament and from public platforms. The evil motives of the rulers of Pakistan has thrown this unwanted burden on every part of India’s body politic to thwart our development by imposing on our limited resources the mass influx of evacuees and the aggressive intrusions on our borders. We reiterate our support to your efforts to find out a political remedy, Yore repeated messages to the major powers and your addresses to the conscience of the world.
This is no time to emphasise local issues however important they may be. Nevertheless taking advantage of your visit, we would like to draw your kind attention to the vital need for strengthening security arrangements along the border as well as ensuring facilities for building up a sound infrastructure for agro-industry in order to accelerate development of this economically backward area which has had to bear the brunt of the consequences of partition in 1947, including stoppage of border trade, repeated influx of evacuees and a dislocation of social and culture life.
We pray to the Almighty that you may be vouchsafed with long stewardship of our country and that under your leadership it will grow from strength to strength and in peace and prosperity.
JA
TRUA, GARO HILLS
the 12th, june, 1971.
GROHONSING A.MARAK
Deputy Speaker, Meghalaya Legislative
Assembly & Chairman, Central Relife
Committee, Tura
MODY K. MARAK,
Chife Executive Member, Garo Hills
District Council, Tura.
SINGJAN D. SANGMA M.L.A
President Garo Hills, District Congress
Committee (R) & Vice-Chairman
Central Relife Committee, Tura.
ALBINSTONE M. SANGMA,
Member of the executive Committee
Garo Hills District Council & Vice-
Chairman, Central Relief Committee,
Tura.