Zoramthanga writes to Shah, Deb; seeks cancellation of Bru settlement in Tripura

Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga has asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah and his Tripura counterpart Biplab Kumar Deb to cancel the proposal for settlement of displaced Brus in Mizo-dominated Jampui Hills and surrounding areas in North Tripura district. In separate letters written to Shah and Deb on May 29, Zoramthanga said the plan for rehabilitating the displaced Brus in Jampui Hills could "defeat" the very purpose and spirit of the agreement signed by the Centre, governments of Mizoram and Tripura, and representatives of Bru communities on January 16, a CMO official said on Saturday.

The chief minister said there has been ethnic tension and upheaval between Mizo and Bru communities, both in Mizoram and Tripura. Any strain between the two communities in Tripura will have repercussions in Mizoram and vice-versa. Asking Shah and Deb to reconsider and cancel the proposal for Bru settlement in Jampui Hills, Zoramthanga said the arrangement of other appropriate locations is inevitable if the historic quadripartite agreement is to be successfully implemented in letter and spirit, according to the official in the chief minister's office (CMO).

Zoramthanga also took to Twitter to urge Deb to resolve the issue. "Deeply saddened by the disputes regarding resettlement of displaced Brus in areas historically belonging to minor Mizo community in Zampui Hills and surrounding Kanchanpur areas in Tripura. Kindly urging respected @BjpBiplab ji to resolve the matter with utmost care and diplomacy," he tweeted.

The Mizo communities, under the aegis of the Mizo Convention, in Jampui Hills on Friday protested the Tripura government's move and blocked officials from surveying the areas for Bru settlement. Mizo Convention general secretary Zairemthiama Pachuau told PTI that they are strongly against the proposed Bru settlement in Jampui Hills and have submitted several memoranda to the governments in this regard.

He claimed settlement of Brus in Jampui Hills and central catchment forest reserve will have social, economic, political and demographic impact as it will not only result in inter-community clashes but also exploitation of resources and green forest area. This in turn would adversely affect the state's economy, he added. Pachuau claimed there are 10 Mizo villages with a population of over 10,000 in Jampui Hills, which have existed for more than a century.

According to the agreement signed on January 16, 2020, more than 30,000 displaced Bru tribals from Mizoram, who have been living as refugees in Tripura since 1997, will permanently settle in Tripura. The deal was signed by Bru representatives, the Centre, Tripura and Mizoram governments in the presence of Shah.

Under the pact, Rs 4 lakh will be given to each Bru family in a fixed deposit account, Rs 5,000 per month for two years, a plot of land in Tripura and ration for two years. For all such assistance, the central government will provide Rs 600 crore. The Bru tribals have been staying in Tripura in different relief camps after they fled Mizoram in 1997 following ethnic clashes with Mizo communities.

An agreement signed in July 2018 for repatriation of the Bru tribals to Mizoram did not materialise as a majority of the community members refused to go back..