Amid growing resentment against the proposed Bru resettlement, Tripura’s royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarman has urged chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb to expedite the much awaited plan.
The Bru people have been suffering for the past six months even after signing of the historic resettlement agreement with the Centre due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he told reporters in Agartala on Monday.
“It is logical that due to the pandemic, the process of Bru settlement has been delayed for six months. The Bihar Assembly election has been conducted smoothly. It means that the country’s condition has improved over the past few weeks. I requested the Chief Minister to take up the Bru issue with priority,” he said.
“The Central government has committed to solve the issue. Commitment should be commitment. I do believe something concrete will come out,” added the Royal scion.
Debbarma later attended a high-level meeting convened by the Chief Secretary on how to move forward with the Bru resettlement plan.
Meanwhile, the strike called by the Mizo Convention and Nagarik Suksha Mancha protesting rehabilitation of Bru refugees in Kanchanpur of North Tripura district evoked thin response as government offices functioned without any trouble.
Markets also remained open but people were not seen in huge numbers.
A sense of insecurity looms large in the entire Kanchapur subdivision where over 35,000 Bru refugees are sheltered.
Leaders of the Nagarik Suraksha Manch and the Mizo National Convention had organised a meeting in the YMA Hall of the Bhelianchip Village in Jampui Hills to review the situation and expressed concern over the change in the government decision keeping them in the dark.
Mizo Convention general secretary Dr Ziram Thiam Pachu, Nagarik Suraksha Manch president Ranjit Nath and Joint Movement Committee convenor Susanta Barua made it clear that they would not allow the resettlement of Bru refugees in the subdivision.