GUWAHATI: NGOs representing the displaced Bru people camping in northern Tripura reiterate that a long-term settlement plan is the need of the hour as they apprehend a grave situation once the period of a month’s ration supply by the Tripura government comes to an end.
The Bru camp inmates had withdrawn their eight-day road blockade last Thursday following an assurance from the Tripura government regarding resumption of supply of free ration.
The state director, food and civil supplies was thereafter asked to arrange supply of rice and salt for the Bru migrants living under Kanchanpur and Panisagar subdivision for a period of one month.
“This is just a short-term measure by the state government to end the standoff. However, we apprehend that the situation may once again turn serious once the ration is stopped. The Centre must come out with a final settlement plan soon,” GB Herbert Reang, the president of the Mizoram Bru Indigenous Democratic Movement (MBIDM), told The Shillong Times on Sunday.
No repatriation of any camp inmate has reportedly taken place since the day the road blockade was lifted.
The Mizoram government on Saturday decided that the ongoing repatriation process “should be the last one and no more such exercises would be carried out”.
The Centre has approved Rs 350 crore for the ninth phase of repatriation and the amount covers transportation and rehabilitation package expenses, which include Rs 5,000 per month for each resettled Bru family in Mizoram and free ration for them for two years.
“From our interactions with the camp inmates, we observe that they are ready to settle in either state or even stay back in Tripura provided they get the right rehabilitation package. The main issue here is the package,” Reang said.
Prior to the lifting of the road blockade, a state delegation led by deputy chief minister, Jishnu Debbarma held a meeting with the Bru leaders at Kanchanpur to end the impasse.
As many as six Bru camp inmates are reported to have died between October 31 and November 7, 2019. The Centre had stopped supplying ration and cash doles to the camp inmates from October 1, 2019.
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