DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.68025#0104
Raja Ranajit
Sinha
Rahadur.
2 Jan., 1908.
98 MINUTES OF evidence:
I do not think it is expedient, or that it will serve
any useful purpose, to have Advisory or Administra-
tive Councils to assist District Officers ; but an Ad-
ministrative Council to assist the Divisional Officer
might be created. He might be authorized to choose
men from the landholders and the members of muni-
cipalities and District Boards. All important admini-
strative matters should be referred to them, and
Divisional Officers should generally act on such advice,
though I would not fetter them in any way by such
advice.
I would not invest District Boards with powers of
supervision and control over the smaller municipalities
within their respective districts.
Village communities, under proper safeguards, might
be generally invested with powers as regards the dis-
posal of local affairs relating to revenue, police, sanita-
tion and education. They may also be authorised to
dispose of petty civil cases.
16792. Have you experience, as Chairman of a
municipality, of questions of education ?—Yes, but it
is only primary education with which we have to deal.
16793. Does the Commissioner take any interest in
those schools ?—The Divisional Commissioner does not
take much interest in them.
16794. Ought he to have some increased power in
his division in that respect ?—I do.
16795. Are the people in a district in any way
reluctant to come and see either the Commissioner or
the Collector ?—Yes, they do not dare to approach
them, because they fear they will not be properly
received or treated properly.
16796. Do you know of any instance in which they
have not been kindly received or received in a friendly
manner ?—I cannot give you any particular instance,
but generally we find that the District Officers think
that their positions will be degraded, and that the
people will take advantage of them, if they mix freely
with the people.
16797. Have you any knowledge of your own
beyond the general opinion that people have been
received by officers in an unfriendly way ?—My ex-
perience is that they have not been properly received.
16798. Has such a thing ever happened to you ?—
No, but I have been told that it has happened in other
cases.
16799. Are the areas of some of the districts too
large ?—I think Midnapore is too large.
16800. Apart from Midnapore, is there any district
which you think too large ?—No.
16801. How long ought an officer to remain in a
district before he gets sufficiently acquainted with the
people ?—He should remain for three years, but he
ought to know the people within a year.
16802. Ought he to remain longer than three years?
—No, I think not.
16803. In a large district such as you have described,
would he have time to get round it in three years ? —
I think so.
16804. Do the District Officers now consult the
people at all ?—Very rarely.
16805. Have they ever consulted you?—No. I do
not remember to have been consulted.
16806. Have not they asked you : “ Is it a good
thing to do this or that ” ?—No, but I think they
should. 'I hey generally consult the Vice-Chairman of
the District Board among non-official gentlemen of the
district, but no one else. The Divisional Commis-
sioner does sometimes consult other gentlemen of
influence, but the District Officer never.
16807. Would it be well if that were done?—Yes,
it would be well, and it would be better for the
administration.
16808. Would it be easy to find proper people to
consult ?—I do not think it would be very difficult.
There are a good many representative people in a
district.
16809. Would you have those people consulted in a
formal way as a Council, or would you have them
consulted just as the District Officer thought fit ?—As
the District Officer thought fit, and there should be no
Advisory Council.
16810. With regard to municipalities, ought they to
have larger powers than they have?—Yes ; as regards
finance. In other matters they have sufficient powers,
but as regards finance they are controlled by the
Divisional Commissioners, even in minute matters.
16811. In what sort of things would you give greater
freedom ?—There is so much voted for education, so
much for sanitation, and so on, and we should not be
interfered with in matters of detail. Supposing we
have to spend Rs. 5,000 for some local purpose, such
as medical, and we have allotted Rs. 500 out of that
sum for sanitary measures in order to deal with an
outbreak of cholera or small-pox ; but if we want to,
appoint a Medical Officer on Rs. 50 per mensem, we
are required to take sanction. In my opinion when
Rs. 500 were set aside for the purpose the Municipal
Commissioners should have power to spend that
amount as they like.
16812. Supposing you were to spend more than your
municipal income, where would you get any increased
income from?—We have to keep within our income
and must not exceed it : if we exceed our expenditure
on one item, we have to curtail it on others.
16813. Then it is not a case of wanting to spend
more money as a municipality, but you want greater
freedom with regard to the way in which you spend
what you have got ?—Yes, that is the difficulty, and
the people are too poor to pay any larger amount of
taxes.
16814. Should village communities have increased
powers?—The powers of the panchayat should be
greatly increased.
16815. {Sir Frederic Lely.') Would you also give
the Collector a voice in matters of education ?—Yes,
they have to see that the schools are going on properly ;
they travel in the districts, and it would be better for
the schools if they visited and inspected them.
16816. Are you aware of any harmful result that
would follow on Commissioners or Collectors not
having a voice in the management of the schools ?—I
think so, because unless the Collector goes, no one
looks after the schools.
16817. Should all Municipal Commissioners be elected ?
—Two-thirds are elected now. That is enough at
present.
16818. Would you give any right of appeal against
the orders of Municipal Commissioners ?—Yes
16819. Would you give a dismissed employe, for
instance, a right of appeal against the decision of the
Municipal Commissioners ?—No, I would let people
appeal with regard to building regulations, burial-
grounds, and burning ghats, and matters of that kind,
but in no other case.
16820. Would you give municipalities full power of
taxation?—Yes, but I would not give them power to
impose any additional tax which is not within the
Act.
16821. {Mr. Dutt.) How long have you been Chair-
man of your municipality ?—Twelve years.
16822. What is the population of the town ?—
10,000. It is about 5 miles from the headquarters of
the district.
16823. Are there any sub-committees in the munici-
pality ?—No.
16824. Do you, as the Executive Officer of the
municipality, place your work before the members to
be passed ?—Yes.
16825. Is the assessment list made out by you ?—It
is made out by the office, and is sent to the Ward
Commissioners who generally assess the taxes. There
are two Commissioners in every ward, and in some
wards there are three. The assessment lists are then
laid before a meeting and passed.
16826. Do you make any contribution to the high
school ?—No. We support the primary schools only.
16827. Are there any members whose duty specially
it is to inspect the schools ?—No.
16828. Is sufficient attention paid to school work?—
There is a School Committee. It is composed of
non-official members. There are two or three Com-
missioners of the municipality, and two or three are
elected from outside.
Sinha
Rahadur.
2 Jan., 1908.
98 MINUTES OF evidence:
I do not think it is expedient, or that it will serve
any useful purpose, to have Advisory or Administra-
tive Councils to assist District Officers ; but an Ad-
ministrative Council to assist the Divisional Officer
might be created. He might be authorized to choose
men from the landholders and the members of muni-
cipalities and District Boards. All important admini-
strative matters should be referred to them, and
Divisional Officers should generally act on such advice,
though I would not fetter them in any way by such
advice.
I would not invest District Boards with powers of
supervision and control over the smaller municipalities
within their respective districts.
Village communities, under proper safeguards, might
be generally invested with powers as regards the dis-
posal of local affairs relating to revenue, police, sanita-
tion and education. They may also be authorised to
dispose of petty civil cases.
16792. Have you experience, as Chairman of a
municipality, of questions of education ?—Yes, but it
is only primary education with which we have to deal.
16793. Does the Commissioner take any interest in
those schools ?—The Divisional Commissioner does not
take much interest in them.
16794. Ought he to have some increased power in
his division in that respect ?—I do.
16795. Are the people in a district in any way
reluctant to come and see either the Commissioner or
the Collector ?—Yes, they do not dare to approach
them, because they fear they will not be properly
received or treated properly.
16796. Do you know of any instance in which they
have not been kindly received or received in a friendly
manner ?—I cannot give you any particular instance,
but generally we find that the District Officers think
that their positions will be degraded, and that the
people will take advantage of them, if they mix freely
with the people.
16797. Have you any knowledge of your own
beyond the general opinion that people have been
received by officers in an unfriendly way ?—My ex-
perience is that they have not been properly received.
16798. Has such a thing ever happened to you ?—
No, but I have been told that it has happened in other
cases.
16799. Are the areas of some of the districts too
large ?—I think Midnapore is too large.
16800. Apart from Midnapore, is there any district
which you think too large ?—No.
16801. How long ought an officer to remain in a
district before he gets sufficiently acquainted with the
people ?—He should remain for three years, but he
ought to know the people within a year.
16802. Ought he to remain longer than three years?
—No, I think not.
16803. In a large district such as you have described,
would he have time to get round it in three years ? —
I think so.
16804. Do the District Officers now consult the
people at all ?—Very rarely.
16805. Have they ever consulted you?—No. I do
not remember to have been consulted.
16806. Have not they asked you : “ Is it a good
thing to do this or that ” ?—No, but I think they
should. 'I hey generally consult the Vice-Chairman of
the District Board among non-official gentlemen of the
district, but no one else. The Divisional Commis-
sioner does sometimes consult other gentlemen of
influence, but the District Officer never.
16807. Would it be well if that were done?—Yes,
it would be well, and it would be better for the
administration.
16808. Would it be easy to find proper people to
consult ?—I do not think it would be very difficult.
There are a good many representative people in a
district.
16809. Would you have those people consulted in a
formal way as a Council, or would you have them
consulted just as the District Officer thought fit ?—As
the District Officer thought fit, and there should be no
Advisory Council.
16810. With regard to municipalities, ought they to
have larger powers than they have?—Yes ; as regards
finance. In other matters they have sufficient powers,
but as regards finance they are controlled by the
Divisional Commissioners, even in minute matters.
16811. In what sort of things would you give greater
freedom ?—There is so much voted for education, so
much for sanitation, and so on, and we should not be
interfered with in matters of detail. Supposing we
have to spend Rs. 5,000 for some local purpose, such
as medical, and we have allotted Rs. 500 out of that
sum for sanitary measures in order to deal with an
outbreak of cholera or small-pox ; but if we want to,
appoint a Medical Officer on Rs. 50 per mensem, we
are required to take sanction. In my opinion when
Rs. 500 were set aside for the purpose the Municipal
Commissioners should have power to spend that
amount as they like.
16812. Supposing you were to spend more than your
municipal income, where would you get any increased
income from?—We have to keep within our income
and must not exceed it : if we exceed our expenditure
on one item, we have to curtail it on others.
16813. Then it is not a case of wanting to spend
more money as a municipality, but you want greater
freedom with regard to the way in which you spend
what you have got ?—Yes, that is the difficulty, and
the people are too poor to pay any larger amount of
taxes.
16814. Should village communities have increased
powers?—The powers of the panchayat should be
greatly increased.
16815. {Sir Frederic Lely.') Would you also give
the Collector a voice in matters of education ?—Yes,
they have to see that the schools are going on properly ;
they travel in the districts, and it would be better for
the schools if they visited and inspected them.
16816. Are you aware of any harmful result that
would follow on Commissioners or Collectors not
having a voice in the management of the schools ?—I
think so, because unless the Collector goes, no one
looks after the schools.
16817. Should all Municipal Commissioners be elected ?
—Two-thirds are elected now. That is enough at
present.
16818. Would you give any right of appeal against
the orders of Municipal Commissioners ?—Yes
16819. Would you give a dismissed employe, for
instance, a right of appeal against the decision of the
Municipal Commissioners ?—No, I would let people
appeal with regard to building regulations, burial-
grounds, and burning ghats, and matters of that kind,
but in no other case.
16820. Would you give municipalities full power of
taxation?—Yes, but I would not give them power to
impose any additional tax which is not within the
Act.
16821. {Mr. Dutt.) How long have you been Chair-
man of your municipality ?—Twelve years.
16822. What is the population of the town ?—
10,000. It is about 5 miles from the headquarters of
the district.
16823. Are there any sub-committees in the munici-
pality ?—No.
16824. Do you, as the Executive Officer of the
municipality, place your work before the members to
be passed ?—Yes.
16825. Is the assessment list made out by you ?—It
is made out by the office, and is sent to the Ward
Commissioners who generally assess the taxes. There
are two Commissioners in every ward, and in some
wards there are three. The assessment lists are then
laid before a meeting and passed.
16826. Do you make any contribution to the high
school ?—No. We support the primary schools only.
16827. Are there any members whose duty specially
it is to inspect the schools ?—No.
16828. Is sufficient attention paid to school work?—
There is a School Committee. It is composed of
non-official members. There are two or three Com-
missioners of the municipality, and two or three are
elected from outside.