Highway blockade in Tripura disrupts traffic as surrendered insurgents press for rehabilitation funds

Traffic on the Assam–Agartala National Highway came to a standstill late Sunday night (December 21) after a surrendered insurgent group blocked the road at Baramura in West Tripura, demanding the immediate restart of a stalled rehabilitation package worth Rs 23 crore.

Several vehicles, including goods-laden trucks, were stranded for hours after members of the Tripura Guerrilla Returned Demand Committee set up the blockade, pressing the state government to act on long-pending commitments made to former militants who returned to civilian life.

A protester, identifying himself as a surrendered insurgent, said the group comprised pre-1998 returnees who joined the mainstream following talks with the then Left Front government. “For proper settlement and rehabilitation, Rs 45 crore was sanctioned on May 22, 2007,” he said.

“From 2008, meetings were held and the scheme was implemented until 2018. Since then, the government changed, COVID came, and all schemes stopped. So far, there has been no update.”

According to the protester, around Rs 22 crore of the sanctioned amount has already been spent. “From the Rs 45 crore, around Rs 22 crore has been spent, so we want the government to use the remaining funds by restarting the scheme,” he said, adding that repeated approaches to officials had yielded no results.

The group also flagged problems with livelihood initiatives under the Chief Minister’s Rubber Mission. “Under the CM Rubber Mission, the scheme continued for three years without problems, but this year it was not implemented,” the protester said. “They have given us rubber saplings but did not provide funds for fencing the saplings. We have asked the administration many times, but so far nothing has happened.”

Warning of escalation, he said the blockade would continue if the demands were ignored. “If the government fails to solve the matter, we will block the national highway,” he said.

Alongside the financial demands, the group called for the immediate withdrawal of all pending cases against those who have returned to normal civilian life.