Rehabilitation site visit for Reang refugees in Tripura postponed amid protest

A CORRESPONDENT

AGARTALA: The government move to rehabilitate the Reang refugees in Tripura suffered a major setback when the administration had to postpone the programme of visiting a proposed rehabilitation site at Kanchanpursub-division in the face of a massive demonstration by the locals.

Thousands of local people set up a road blocked from early morning and it was withdrawn in the afternoon only after the Sub-Divisional Magistrate Chandni Chandran gave a written assurance that there will be "no site visit" for Bru resettlement in Kanchanpur Sub-division.

The Kanchanpur Nagarik Suraksha Manch and the Jampui Mizo Convention is jointly opposing the rehabilitation of the Reang refugees in Kanchanpur and threatened massive agitation if the "site visit" programme is undertaken. But the administration was adamant to go ahead with the programme.

Large number of people started pouring in the Santnala-Chailengta road from early morning and set a road blockade. The number of agitators started growing as the day progressed and the administration considered that it will not be wise to go for any confrontation.

The Reang refugees came to Kanchanpur in 1997 following some commotion with the local Mizos in the Mamith district of Mizoram and since then staying in camps at Kanchanpur sub-division and the Central government is bearing all the expenses.

Kanchanpur Nagarik Suraksha Manch and the Jampui Mizo Convention has formed a joint committee and announced that they will prevent any kind of attempt to rehabilitate Reang refugees in their sub-division.

Diptanu Nath, general secretary of the Nagarik Suraksha Manch and Dr Z Thankima, general secretary of the Jampui Mizo Convention in a joint press conference said they will go for larger agitation if any attempt is made in the future to rehabilitate the Reang refugees in Kanchanpur sub-division. 

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