Under the banner of Joint Movement Committee (JMC), members of Nagarik Suraksha Manch and Tripura Mizo Convention, once again, vented their disappointments relating to proposed settlement of 4900 Bru migrant families within Kanchanpur and Panisagar sub-divisions in North Tripura. Expressing shock at such development, JMC members submitted a memorandum to the Chief Secretary of the State through the SDM of Kanchanpur on Wednesday.
Notably, JMC is vehemently opposing the idea of large-scale re-settlement of Bru Reangs in Kanchanpur Sub-division. These Bru Reangs migrated to North Tripura more than two decades ago from Mizoram. They were sheltered in relief camps in areas under Kanchanpur and Panisagar sub-divisions since then.
In January 2020, Bru settlement agreement was signed in a multilateral meeting in presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. However, for quite a long time, JMC members voiced their objections and held talks with administration including the Chief Secretary to prevent large-scale Bru Reang resettlement in Kanchanpur sub-division.
Submitting the memorandum, Susanta Bikas Barua, Convener, JMC and Dr. Zairemthiama Pachuau, Chairman, JMC said, we are expressing our shock and disappointment with the proposed settlement of 4900 families of Mizoram Bru migrants within Kanchanpur and Panisagar Sub-Divisions. This proposal from the government grossly goes against our proposal that we have submitted to you and discussed with you on July 23, 2020 during our video-conference meeting with you.
Barua and Dr Pachuau continued and said, “We would like to re-emphasize that in principle we are not against the Quadrilateral Bru Settlement Agreement signed in New Delhi on January 16 2020. In fact, we congratulate and welcome the Agreement. However, we are still maintaining our logical stand that equitable distribution of families in all the Districts and Sub-Divisions is critically important to avoid negative social, cultural, political, environmental and ecological impacts it can have on our Kanchanpur Sub-Division. We, therefore, maintain our stand that maximum 500 families are settled in Kanchanpur and Panisagar Sub-Divisions in the specific places that we have mentioned in our previous proposal”.
Members of JMC have expressed hope that administration would consider their concerns and will not go for large-scale rehabilitation of Brus in Kanchanpur and Panisagar subdivisions.
