Excess land will go to landless peasants

FEBRUARY 20, 1972

BANGABANDHU VISITS

NOAKHALI AND BHOLA

Bangabandhu today visits Ramgati in Noakhali and Shantirhat in Bhola. This is the prime minister's second visit to the rural areas of Bangladesh after his assumption of office.

WORK FOR AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION

Bangabandhu addresses a huge gathering at Baggatola near Ramgati on the banks of River Meghna, where he does earthwork on the damaged embankment to initiate and inspire voluntary reconstruction at a national level.

Bangabandhu urges farmers and cultivators to work for agricultural revolution in the country. He says that not an inch of land must remain fallow.

Bangabandhu recalls, amidst thunderous applause, that his government has already declared exemption of land revenue up to 25 bighas.

He calls upon the people to work selflessly with the same vigour with which they faced the Pakistan Occupation Army.

"We have to build such a society where these hungry people, cultivators, labourers could smile again," he adds.

LAND CEILINGS UP TO 100 BIGHAS

Bangabandhu, at a public meeting in Bhola, declares that a family would be allowed to hold 100 bighas of land, and the ceiling may be reduced if necessary. The excess land available from the families and the khash lands would be distributed among the landless peasants with immediate effect, he adds.

CONCERN OVER BENGALEES IN PAKISTAN

Bangabandhu expresses his grave concerns about the Bangalees living in Pakistan. Addressing a huge gathering in Ramgati he regrets that Pakistani President ZA Bhutto turned down his proposal for repatriation of Bangalees. He also reiterates that he has no objection if any non-Bangalee wants to go to Pakistan. Bangabandhu once again asks the Pakistan President to accept the reality of Bangladesh and recognise the new nation.

MASS GRAVE FOUND IN HATHAZARI

A mass grave is discovered at Hathazari, Chittagong where it is estimated that more than one thousand people were buried by collaborators of the Pakistan army. Skeletons, decomposed bodies and women's hair still remain in this mass grave behind Hathazari Wadudia Madrassah. The skeletons are found with their limbs tied with ropes. 

RAISE GONO BAHINI

General MAG Osmani, C-in-C of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, calls for raising a large people force to back a limited, well-trained regular army for the defence of the country.

NEW AID PLEDGED FOR BANGLADESH

At a closed-door meeting of donor countries at the United Nations several countries including Denmark, Norway and the US pledge new aid to Bangladesh. The meeting was convened by Secretary General Kurt Waldheim. The US representative Christopher Philips reportedly quotes from President Richard Nixon's State of the World message in which he had said that the US government would not lose sight of the aspirations of the 70 million Bangalees.

SOURCES: February 21, 1972 issues of Dainik Bangla, The Daily Ittefaq, Azad, Morning News, The Bangladesh Observer and Purbodesh.