DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.68025#0164
Babu
.Bhupendra-
nath Basu.
28 Jan., 1908.
158 MINUTES OF EVIDENCE':
they not sometimes yield to such pressure and under-
take works which might not be remunerative?—A
mistake might be made once in a way, but one mistake
committed in that way would be a warning.
18215. Then on the whole you think the bad results
Would be more than counterbalanced by the good
results?—Yes, provided it is sanctioned by the Council,
I think the risks of mistakes would be diminished, and
at the time we in Bengal suffer from the lack of these
communieatiohs, and that difficulty probably would be
obviated.
18216. You said that the provincial Government
could borrow money from the Imperial Government on
such occasions and for such purposes ?—Yes, but there
might be difficulty ; the Supreme Government might
be unwilling to lend, and in that case I am inclined to
think that power might be given to the Local
Government.
18217. In cases where the Supreme Government was
unwilling to give the money, would it give its sanction
to borrowing ?—I do not think they would give their
sanction.
18218. Then what would you gain by having this
power ?—I should gain in this way that the Supreme
Government might not like to lend its own money for
the purposes of the project, and then it could be
borrowed elsewhere..
18219. You have stated that for certain matters,
such as famine relief and sanitation, Local Govern-
ments should be allowed to work on the general lines
of policy laid down by the Supreme Government, but
is that not the case now ?—That is the case now, but
in matters of sanitation it has been felt that Local
Governments have not done all that was possible. In
the case of deaths from malaria, for instance, we feel
that greater attention ought to have been devoted to
the question than there has been hitherto, and if the
Local Government was able to carry on any works of
importance to mitigate the ravages of malaria, it would
be able to move sooner owing to its greater knowledge
of local conditions, and the pressure that might be
brought upon it by the non-official members of the
Council.
18220. My question was whether the control and
Supervision of the Government of India has in any
way impeded the provincial Governments from doing
what they liked?—We are not cognizant of what
passes between the Governments, but we have felt
that many schemes are tied up in the Secretariat of
the Supreme Government, and considerable delay takes
place.
18221. With regard to sanitation or the finding of a
remedy for malarial fever, do you know of any pro-
posals of the Bengal Government which have been tied
up by the Government of India ?—No.
18222. You speak of a special Sanitary Board to
deal with the question in Bengal, but is there not
a Sanitary Commissioner in Bengal?—We have a
Sanitary Commissioner in Bengal, but there is no
special department to deal with malaria.
18223. Have you not a Sanitary Board ?—Yes, but
just as we have a Sanitary department for plague in
Calcutta, I would suggest a special body to deal with
malaria alone to the exclusion of other matters.
18224. In certain matters would you allow the
provincial Government to pass legislative measures
without the sanction of the Imperial Government ?—
It must be subject to the final sanction of the
Imperial Government. I was thinking of a measure
like the Smoke Nuisance Act, which might be easily
undertaken by the Local Government and passed
subject, of course, to the Imperial Government.
18225. Is there any great need for sanitary
improvement in municipalities?—Yes, there is need
of good drinking water.
18226. What prevents the municipalities meeting
those requirements ?—Want of funds.
18227. What is the income of the municipality you
are speaking of ?—About Rs. 48,000.
18228. Is that money mostly spent on its annual
requirements leaving no margin for large sanitary
improvements ?—Yes, it is spent on current needs.
18229. How do you propose that those sanitary
improvements should be carried out ?—They cannot
be carried out by individual municipalities; it is
absolutely impossible, and they could only be carried
out by the Local Government or by the municipalities
grouped together.
18230. In such matters as large sanitary improve-
ments might the municipalities look to the Local
Government for some contributions from time to-
time ?—Yes, I certainly think so, because the pro-
tection of life and the prevention of death are
considered to be the prime duties of the Government.
18231. Latterly the resources of the District
Boards have been supplemented by a grant from the
Imperial Government which has been distributed by
the Local Government. Might such contributions
with advantage be made to municipalities for the
specific purposes you mention ?—I think so.
18232. Is it within your experience that there are
certain municipalities which are very small and
which, although they are called municipal towns, are
practically only villages ?*—There are such places.
18233. Is anything gained by keeping them up as
municipalities ?—I do not know how they could
otherwise be looked after. If arrangements could be
made for the proper conduct of a place, that is all
that is needed.
18234. If you made them into village unions, or
villages under panchayats, would that not answer all
purposes ?—Yes.
18235. Is primary education now practically
managed by District Boards ?—Yes.
18236. Are primary schools supervised and managed
by Government inspectors, or by the servants of the
District Board?—They are supervised by Government,
inspectors.
18237. Would you give District Boards full power
to appoint their own servants, to supervise their own
schools, or do you prefer the schools being supervised
by the Government inspectors ?—I prefer their being
supervised by the Government sub-inspectors.
18238. With regard to roads constructed by District
Boards, would you like to have that work done by an
Engineer who is a servant of a District Board, or by
a Public Works Engineer whose services were lent to
the District Board?—That is a question which has
engaged the attention of the Local Government for
some time past and upon which there is a difference
of opinion. It is a very difficult question and I have
not formed an opinion.
18239. When measures of legislation are sent to the
District Officers for their opinion, would Advisory
Councils be able to give any useful opinion on those
matters ?—I think they would ; in any event they
would be able to give very valuable information about
the local conditions in reference to the proposed
measure.
18240. Can you think of any matters in which the
advice of an Advisory Council would be valuable
regarding the general condition of the district, or the
water-supply, or the drainage of the district ?—Yes,
their opinion and the information that they would
place at the service of the District Officer would be
of great value, because they would necessarily have a
personal knowledge of things which the Collector may
not possess.
18241. Is the want of water-supply a great and
crying want in some parts of Bengal ?-—Yes, a very
great want. For the present, it can be met only by
good tanks and wells.
18242. If the Government pays a contribution,
could money be raised locally for making tanks to be
devoted to drinking purposes only ?—I have great
doubt about raising money locally in those places
where there is no filtered water supply ; elsewhere
some money might be raised, but having regard to the
conditions of Bengal, it would be difficult to raise
money in the interior.
18243. Might the money come from the allotments
given to the District Officers ?—Yes.
18244. Allotments are made too for the purpose of
excavation of tanks provided the people themselves
contribute a definite proportion ?—Some parts of
that money remained unutilized because the people
themselves could not raise the contribution.
.Bhupendra-
nath Basu.
28 Jan., 1908.
158 MINUTES OF EVIDENCE':
they not sometimes yield to such pressure and under-
take works which might not be remunerative?—A
mistake might be made once in a way, but one mistake
committed in that way would be a warning.
18215. Then on the whole you think the bad results
Would be more than counterbalanced by the good
results?—Yes, provided it is sanctioned by the Council,
I think the risks of mistakes would be diminished, and
at the time we in Bengal suffer from the lack of these
communieatiohs, and that difficulty probably would be
obviated.
18216. You said that the provincial Government
could borrow money from the Imperial Government on
such occasions and for such purposes ?—Yes, but there
might be difficulty ; the Supreme Government might
be unwilling to lend, and in that case I am inclined to
think that power might be given to the Local
Government.
18217. In cases where the Supreme Government was
unwilling to give the money, would it give its sanction
to borrowing ?—I do not think they would give their
sanction.
18218. Then what would you gain by having this
power ?—I should gain in this way that the Supreme
Government might not like to lend its own money for
the purposes of the project, and then it could be
borrowed elsewhere..
18219. You have stated that for certain matters,
such as famine relief and sanitation, Local Govern-
ments should be allowed to work on the general lines
of policy laid down by the Supreme Government, but
is that not the case now ?—That is the case now, but
in matters of sanitation it has been felt that Local
Governments have not done all that was possible. In
the case of deaths from malaria, for instance, we feel
that greater attention ought to have been devoted to
the question than there has been hitherto, and if the
Local Government was able to carry on any works of
importance to mitigate the ravages of malaria, it would
be able to move sooner owing to its greater knowledge
of local conditions, and the pressure that might be
brought upon it by the non-official members of the
Council.
18220. My question was whether the control and
Supervision of the Government of India has in any
way impeded the provincial Governments from doing
what they liked?—We are not cognizant of what
passes between the Governments, but we have felt
that many schemes are tied up in the Secretariat of
the Supreme Government, and considerable delay takes
place.
18221. With regard to sanitation or the finding of a
remedy for malarial fever, do you know of any pro-
posals of the Bengal Government which have been tied
up by the Government of India ?—No.
18222. You speak of a special Sanitary Board to
deal with the question in Bengal, but is there not
a Sanitary Commissioner in Bengal?—We have a
Sanitary Commissioner in Bengal, but there is no
special department to deal with malaria.
18223. Have you not a Sanitary Board ?—Yes, but
just as we have a Sanitary department for plague in
Calcutta, I would suggest a special body to deal with
malaria alone to the exclusion of other matters.
18224. In certain matters would you allow the
provincial Government to pass legislative measures
without the sanction of the Imperial Government ?—
It must be subject to the final sanction of the
Imperial Government. I was thinking of a measure
like the Smoke Nuisance Act, which might be easily
undertaken by the Local Government and passed
subject, of course, to the Imperial Government.
18225. Is there any great need for sanitary
improvement in municipalities?—Yes, there is need
of good drinking water.
18226. What prevents the municipalities meeting
those requirements ?—Want of funds.
18227. What is the income of the municipality you
are speaking of ?—About Rs. 48,000.
18228. Is that money mostly spent on its annual
requirements leaving no margin for large sanitary
improvements ?—Yes, it is spent on current needs.
18229. How do you propose that those sanitary
improvements should be carried out ?—They cannot
be carried out by individual municipalities; it is
absolutely impossible, and they could only be carried
out by the Local Government or by the municipalities
grouped together.
18230. In such matters as large sanitary improve-
ments might the municipalities look to the Local
Government for some contributions from time to-
time ?—Yes, I certainly think so, because the pro-
tection of life and the prevention of death are
considered to be the prime duties of the Government.
18231. Latterly the resources of the District
Boards have been supplemented by a grant from the
Imperial Government which has been distributed by
the Local Government. Might such contributions
with advantage be made to municipalities for the
specific purposes you mention ?—I think so.
18232. Is it within your experience that there are
certain municipalities which are very small and
which, although they are called municipal towns, are
practically only villages ?*—There are such places.
18233. Is anything gained by keeping them up as
municipalities ?—I do not know how they could
otherwise be looked after. If arrangements could be
made for the proper conduct of a place, that is all
that is needed.
18234. If you made them into village unions, or
villages under panchayats, would that not answer all
purposes ?—Yes.
18235. Is primary education now practically
managed by District Boards ?—Yes.
18236. Are primary schools supervised and managed
by Government inspectors, or by the servants of the
District Board?—They are supervised by Government,
inspectors.
18237. Would you give District Boards full power
to appoint their own servants, to supervise their own
schools, or do you prefer the schools being supervised
by the Government inspectors ?—I prefer their being
supervised by the Government sub-inspectors.
18238. With regard to roads constructed by District
Boards, would you like to have that work done by an
Engineer who is a servant of a District Board, or by
a Public Works Engineer whose services were lent to
the District Board?—That is a question which has
engaged the attention of the Local Government for
some time past and upon which there is a difference
of opinion. It is a very difficult question and I have
not formed an opinion.
18239. When measures of legislation are sent to the
District Officers for their opinion, would Advisory
Councils be able to give any useful opinion on those
matters ?—I think they would ; in any event they
would be able to give very valuable information about
the local conditions in reference to the proposed
measure.
18240. Can you think of any matters in which the
advice of an Advisory Council would be valuable
regarding the general condition of the district, or the
water-supply, or the drainage of the district ?—Yes,
their opinion and the information that they would
place at the service of the District Officer would be
of great value, because they would necessarily have a
personal knowledge of things which the Collector may
not possess.
18241. Is the want of water-supply a great and
crying want in some parts of Bengal ?-—Yes, a very
great want. For the present, it can be met only by
good tanks and wells.
18242. If the Government pays a contribution,
could money be raised locally for making tanks to be
devoted to drinking purposes only ?—I have great
doubt about raising money locally in those places
where there is no filtered water supply ; elsewhere
some money might be raised, but having regard to the
conditions of Bengal, it would be difficult to raise
money in the interior.
18243. Might the money come from the allotments
given to the District Officers ?—Yes.
18244. Allotments are made too for the purpose of
excavation of tanks provided the people themselves
contribute a definite proportion ?—Some parts of
that money remained unutilized because the people
themselves could not raise the contribution.