Annual Report of the Civil Veterinary Department, West
Bengal, for the period from the 15th August 1947 to
31st March 1948.
GENERAL ADMINISTRATION.
The history of this report starts from the "Partition
of
Bengal".
Prior to the partition of the province the head of the Department was the
Director, having under him the Deputy Director. Both these posts were
manned by Muslim officers who after partition opted to work in East
Bengal. After the partition the posts of Director and Deputy Director
were abolished and the Department was placed under the Director of
Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries. To assist the Director, Sri
P. C. Banerji was appointed as the Assistant Director of Veterinary Services,
West Bengal. Since then the administration of the Department has been
entrusted with him under the guidance and instructions of the Director of
Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries. Under this new arrange-
ment the Department was named "Veterinary Field Section". At the time
of partition of the province the share of the staff that fell to West Bengal
consisted of only 8 Veterinary Inspectors and 73 Veterinary Assistant
Surgeons against a sanctioned cadre of 19 Veterinary Inspectors and 110
Veterinary Assistant Surgeons. Altogether 91 officers opted to serve in
West Bengal from East Bengal. Six Veterinary Assistant Surgeons were
also reverted from military service to their posts in this province with
option to serve the West Bengal Government. With the existing staff and
those that came over from East Bengal and military service on reversion,
a cadre of 90 Itinerant Veterinary Assistant Surgeons, 24 Stationary
Veterinary Assistant Surgeons, 28 District Veterinary Officers, 15 Emer-
gency and Mass Inoculation Staff, 6 Staff Veterinary Assistant Surgeons
and 13 Leave Reserves was contemplated. But all the posts could not be
filled up for want of personnel. Two range offices in West Bengal after
partition were divided into 3 ranges, viz., the Eastern, the Western and
the Northern, with their headquarters
at Calcutta, Midnapore and
Jalpaiguri. An officer of the rank of Bengal Veterinary Service was placed
in charge of each range. A post of Superintendent, Headquarters, was
also created to assist the Assistant Director of Veterinary Services in his
work. The changes in the designation of officers existing before partition
had to be made in conformity with similar posts existing in the Directorate
of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries. During the
period
under review Assistant Director spent 18 days on tour covering 2,136 miles
by rail and 132 miles by road. The Assistant Director of Veterinary
Services was elected a Member of the Advisory Board of the Indian
Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, and of the Animal Diseases
and Pests Committee within this period.
Sri C. C. Das Gupta carried on the duties of Superintendent, Head-
quarters, throughout the period in addition to his own duties as District
Veterinary Officer, Emergency Section. Sri J. C. Majumdar held charge
of the post of Superintendent of Veterinary Services, Eastern Range, with
headquarters at Calcutta. This range comprised the districts of 24-
Parganas, Howrah-Hooghly,
Nadia and Murshidabad. Sri G.
S.
Banerjee held charge of the post of Superintendent of Veterinary Services,
Western Range, with headquarters at Midnapore. This range comprised
the districts of Midnapore North, Midnapore South, Bankura, Burdwan