Over 4,100 Bru refugees of Tripura relocated to new locations: Official

Over 4,100 Bru families who were living in six relief camps in the Kanchanpur and Panisagar areas of the North Tripura district have been rehabilitated in new locations as part of a settlement agreement, as informed by the official on October 30.

According to the agreement signed by officials in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in January 2020, 37,136 Brus from 6,959 families who were displaced from neighbouring Mizoram due to ethnic clashes are eligible to be resettled in 12 designated locations in Tripura.

“Out of the total Bru refugees, 4,102 families have already been resettled so far, while efforts are underway to rehabilitate all the Bru families in Tripura. The process is likely to be completed by February, 2023,” Principal Secretary (Revenue) Puneet Agarwal told the reporters on October 30.

Aside from financial benefits, the Bru refugees will be registered in the state's electoral rolls and receive ration cards, as well as access to services such as electricity, drinking water, education, and healthcare, he said.

Officials said the Bru families will be enrolled in the electoral rolls after receiving the ROR (Register of Ordinary Residents) from the state government, which will be provided once they are resettled.

The ROR is a proof of residence in the Tripura document. According to election commission sources, 21,703 of the 37,136 Bru refugees will be registered to vote in the northeastern state.

“A total of 5,009 names of Bru voters have already been registered in the electoral rolls, while the process is open to bringing all the eligible refugees in the list as per the agreement,” a senior poll official said.