AIZAWL: A day before their relief assistance from the central government was supposed to be stopped, the umbrella organisation of the 32,000 odd Bru refugees living in Tripura urged the Centre on Monday to continue with it.
The Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum (MBDPF) wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and top officials of the ministry of home affairs in this regard.
Inmates of the six relief camps at Kanchanpur sub-division in North Tripura district are scared and they sought continuation of relief assistance in the form of free ration and cash dole, the letter signed by MBDPF president A Sawibunga, vice-president R Laldawngliana and general secretary Bruno Msha said.
Panic gripped the refugees after Abhedananda Baidya, sub-divisional magistrate of Kanchanpur, declared last week that they will be deprived of ration supplies and cash from January 15, if the Union government does not extend its deadline for doling out benefits to them.
The Centre had stopped relief to the Brus from October one last year after they refused to return to Mizoram during the repatriation process commencing from August 25 to September 25.
The supply was, however, resumed from October 22 with the condition that it would continue only till January 15.
The MBDPF signed an agreement with the Centre and Mizoram and Tripura governments on July 3 to accept a repatriation package.
The MBDPF also expressed the desire that the newly-elected Mizo National Front (MNF) government in Mizoram should initiate talks on the repatriation issue. (PTI)
