Kolkata: The Bengal Assembly’s standing committee on Higher Education, made its maiden visit at the Directorate of State Archives (DSA) recently and went through its rich collection of colonial and post-colonial records.
The standing committee team, led by chairman MLA Rafikul Islam Mondal and comprising MLAs Sukanta Paul, Madhusudan Bhattacharya, Mohammad Ali, and Sushanto Mahato, along with two representatives from the state Higher Education department, was given a presentation highlighting the rich archival collection and the dedicated conservation efforts undertaken by the DSA. The team also toured the photo gallery during their visit.
According to sources, the Principal Secretary of the Higher Education department had requested the standing committee team to pay a visit to the DSA, which happens to be a specialised wing of the state Department of Higher Education. “The State Archives is presently working on digitisation of 50 crore papers and we witnessed how this work is going on,” said Paul.
Dr. Simonti Sen, Director of DSA, said that she had informed the team about the shortage of manpower in DSA and the necessity of infrastructural upgrade for proper upkeep and maintenance.
The DSA, the official custodian of all non-current records of the government, is now dispersed in three different wings in two buildings. The Historical and Current Sections located at Bhawani Dutta Lane deal with the records from 1758 till post 1947. The New Functional Building at Shakespeare Sarani has, in its custody, the Intelligence Branch, Public Works Department, Chancellors’ Secretariat records and Electoral Rolls. In addition to general record series, the State Archives holds special types of records, including old maps, glass and film negatives, as well as photographic prints of intercepted letters, articles, and photographs of freedom fighters. The standing committee team visited both the offices of the DSA.