Mizoram Plans Relocation of Bangladeshi Refugees for Administrative and Humanitarian Ease

AIZAWL: The Mizoram government is preparing to relocate over 2,000 Bangladeshi nationals currently residing in various villages of Lawngtlai district to a designated area within the same district.

Lalmuanpuia Punte, political adviser to the Chief Minister and head of the study committee on the relocation, stated that the feasibility of the plan is under assessment. The government intends to relocate the Bangladeshi nationals to four villages near the Bangladesh border within Lawngtlai, rather than leaving them dispersed across multiple settlements.

The relocation is being mulled for administrative convenience, to facilitate humanitarian assistance, and to allow the Bangladeshi nationals to support themselves and earn a living for themselves, he said.

According to the state home department, a total of 2,014 Bangladeshi nationals, primarily from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), are currently taking refuge in the district, which borders both Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Punte, who is also a legislator from the ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), emphasized the need for strict guidelines to prevent the refugees from moving or settling freely elsewhere.

On the rehabilitation of Myanmar nationals and displaced people from Manipur who are sheltering in various parts of Mizoram, Punte also noted that no plans are in place as they are expected to return to their native homes soon, with conditions in both Myanmar and Manipur reportedly improving.

In addition to the Bangladeshi nationals, Mizoram is currently hosting 33,023 refugees from Myanmar and 7,118 displaced individuals from Manipur, according to the state home department.

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