Bru repatriation likely to be deferred, says official

    03-Sep-2019
Newmai News Network
AIZAWL, Sep 3 : The proposed final repatriation of over 26,000 Bru people from Tripura is likely to be deferred, an official of the Mizoram Home department said on Tuesday.
The official said that though the proposed final repatriation was scheduled to be conducted in October, it may get delayed as the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has not sanctioned money for the repatriation expenses.
He further said that the proposed repatriation of Bru refugees from Tripura will be chalked out once the Centre release the fund. He also said that the final repatriation is scheduled to be conducted during the current year.
According to the official, preparations are in full swing from May by holding a meeting of the district 'core committee' on Bru repatriation at the border town of Kolasib, followed by a meeting at Mizoram-Tripura-Bangladesh border Mamit town and at Bangladesh border Lunglei town and later identification of the refugees.
The official said that the State Government of Mizoram had conducted identification of Bru refugees lodged at six relief camps in Tripura between July 3 to 20.
At least 26,128 people from 4,278 families were identified as the bona fide residents of Mizoram during the exercise, he said.
However, the official said that the figure was not final as re-identification was conducted to include those who have been left out during the identification process.
“The re-identification was more or less completed. However, the final figure is yet to come out as scrutiny will be held,” he said.
It can be mentioned here that the meeting of Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) on Bru Repatriation held in New Delhi in June had decided to conduct final phase of Bru repatriation in September.
The proposed repatriation was scheduled to be completed by October after which the Centre would close down all the six relief camps and stop dolling out rations to the refugees.
The refugees would be resettled in Mamit district, Kolasib and Lunglei districts, according to officials.
The State Government of Mizoram and the NGO Coordination Committee, an umbrella organisation of the civil societies and student associations, which threatened to boycott the Parliamentary polls on the issue of exercise of franchise by Bru voters in the relief camps, reached an agreement before the Lok Sabha polls held in April, that the repatriation process would be taken up this year and it should be the last attempt.