Twenty-five years after leaving their homes in Mizoram’s Mamit, Kolasib and Lunglei districts due to ethnic conflict, 400 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of Riang (Bru) community have now found a permanent home at Haduklau Para in Ambasa, Dhalai. District, situated at a distance of 85 km from Agartala.
Thirty-seven Bru families who fled ethnic conflict in 1997 have been permanently resettled in Tripura in January 2020 as per the four-corner agreement between the Government of India, the state governments of Tripura and Mizoram and Bru migrants. Settled in 12 villages in various districts of Tripura, 11 of which have built houses and required infrastructure like safe water pipelines, electricity connections, solar powered street lights etc. to welcome their new residents.
While inaugurating and laying foundation stones of 13 development projects worth Rs 668.39 crore in various parts of Tripura at Kulai RF village grounds in Ambasa in Dhalai district, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that Bru migrants have finally got their solution. Human living conditions in transit camps in North Tripura district for 25 years, 2018 only after BJP came to power.
Meanwhile, around 328 families from various Bru camps returned to Tripura in nine phases of repatriation, though 5,000 more arrived in 2009 in fresh clashes.
Naturally, when the Permanent Settlement scheme came into effect in Tripura, the migrants welcomed it with great anticipation. However, the settlement plan went through many discussions and changes, eventually accepting almost all of the immigrants’ demands.
In the relief package announced by the Government of India six months after the Bru migrants arrived in Tripura in 1997, each adult Bru person is entitled to 600 grams of rice per day, while minors are allotted 300 grams per day. The package also includes a cash allowance of Rs 5 per adult and Rs 2.5 per day for minors. In addition, recipients are provided with one bar of soap per year, one pair of slippers annually, and a mosquito net every three years.
In the quadrilateral agreement of 2020, each person was provided with 1,200 square feet of land, 4 lakh rupees for house construction, one-time compensation of 1 lakh 5 thousand rupees and monthly social security pension of 5 thousand rupees. In addition, the beneficiaries will get free rice until they are fully integrated into the regular population of Tripura.
Manirung Reang and others feel that they have received the promised benefits and are overjoyed to step into the “new dawn of life,” as Shah chooses to describe the new phase of his life.
“We are very happy. We have concrete houses. We have got safe drinking water, electricity connection, roads and Anganwadi centers. We are now very hopeful for a positive future,” she said.
However, others like Reshmirung Reang, Imanti Reang, Geeta Reang and Ubati Reang seemed to have conflicted feelings.
Reshmirung Reang, 66, from Mizoram’s Mamit district left behind all her belongings and reached nearby Tripura. There, he and other displaced people sought shelter at Nasingpara Bru camp in Kanchanpur, North Tripura district. He is one of a group of Bru migrants who moved to the Bruapara camp.
Now Reshmirung is happy after getting a new home and village. However, due to the lack of land for ‘Jhum’ cultivation in the new infrastructure provided by the government, he has experienced serious indecision about the next phase of economic activities after the end of financial and ration support.
‘Now we have no work. My son works in a company, and he sends some money back home. We do what we can locally. But we are pahari (mountains) and we want to do Jhum. We need land. We want to do our traditional forest land,” Reshmirung told indianexpress.com.
The fourth is a 56-year-old man from Mamit district, who arrived at Reang Ashapara IDP camp. ‘We have land for our house, but there is no land in front. There is a problem in daily life due to lack of Jhum. We need land for Jhum,’ he said.
The fourth said that he had come to meet the Home Minister to discuss current affairs. We want centrally sponsored schemes like special projects for jobs and livelihood of poor people,” he added.
58-year-old Gomti Reang was living in Hajachera IDP before going to Bruhapara. She said that she got all the commitments under the comprehensive agreement.
When asked what benefits she would like to receive, Gomti felt that tree plantations, vocational training, assistance in accessing skilled employment opportunities, etc. would help her live a better life.
On another issue, Home Minister Amit Shah said that Bruce had already been provided with electricity, brick-soled roads, safe drinking water, home connectivity, solar street lights, 35 kg free rice from Public Distribution System (PDS), Anganwadi, health centre. And recently opened another level school.
“Their names have been included in the electoral roll, ration card and health card and have been given employment through cooperatives. They now own a 1,200-square-foot plot; With the help of the Government of India, every family has got their own house. He said that each family has been provided Rs 1.5 lakh for house construction, Rs 4 lakh for support and Rs 5,000 per month for 24 months.
The state government is imparting various skills and education to resettled Bru migrants to empower them for a solid future.
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