Tripura: Bru displaced people demand for better amenities and resources, land allotment

The Bru displaced people who were resettled permanently in four districts of Tripura met Governor Indrasena Reddy Nallu and submitted a nine-point charter of demands, including providing monthly cash assistance on time, allotment of agricultural land to each family and setting up of government English medium schools.

In the memorandum, the Bru people stated that after the quadripartite agreement signed in New Delhi for permanent resettlement in Tripura, they have been given permanent resettlement in four districts. They have been provided with house building assistance, roads, electricity, water supply, street lights, Anganwadi centers, etc.

They expressed gratitude to the Government of India and Tripura for its crucial role in ending their suffering and hardship in relief camps over the last 25 years. However, they highlighted that while their lives have improved, there are still many incomplete aspects of Bru permanent resettlement and deficiencies in their new locations for future survival.

Their demands include land registration in the name of the head of the family, as this has not yet been completed, transfer of the monthly cash assistance of Rs. 5000 to the account of the head of the family, as the current system is irregular, allotment of agricultural land to each family to ensure their survival after the expiry of the two years of free ration and cash assistance, establishment of government English medium schools and Ekalavya Model Residential Schools.

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The memorandum also points out the lack of sustainable resources in the resettlement locations and calls for the implementation of centrally sponsored schemes such as old-age pensions for the Bru settlement locations. They also request the provision of schemes specifically aimed at particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) for the Bru people.

In conclusion, they request the Governor to consider the mentioned points for the welfare of Bru migrant people to ensure successful resettlement in Tripura.

Due to ethnic violence in the western part of Mizoram in October 1997, a large number of minority Bru (Reang) families migrated to North Tripura district in 1997-1998. Approximately 30,000 (5,000 families) Bru migrants were given shelter in six relief camps set up in Kanchanpur district of North Tripura.

On 3rd July 2018, an agreement was signed between the Centre, Government of Mizoram, Tripura, and Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF) for the permanent resettlement of Bru people in Tripura.