Process to rehabilitate Reang refugees staying in seven camps begins

Agartala: The sub-divisional administration has initiated a process to rehabilitate over 36,000 Reang refugees now staying in seven camps in Kanchanpur and Panisagar sub-divisions of North Tripura district amid many restrictions due to the ongoing lockdown in the State.

As the first step, the sub-divisional Magistrate of Kanchanpur, Chandni Chandran, had a meeting with the leaders of five refugee camps which took some decision about the prospective rehabilitation. The government has identified twelve places across the State to rehabilitate the refugees, though the maximum number will be given settlement in Kanchanpur sub-division.

The meeting has decided that a team of refugee leaders accompanied by officials will visit all the proposed sites where they will be given a settlement from May 4. A team of 35 refugee leaders, five from each of the seven camps, will participate in the site visit.

A notification issued by the SDM gave detail program of the site visit by the refugee leaders along with the officials. Apart from Kanchanpur, the other places where the refugees will be given settlement includes Kailasahar, Ambassa, Gandacherra, Longthorai Valley, Khowai, Jirania and Sonamura.

The relentless effort by the Central Government to repatriate them into Mizoram has failed on many occasions forcing the Central Government to admit that they will be rehabilitated in Tripura itself. The initiative to select land for the settlement is part of this process.

Earlier there was a proposal to set up a firing range at Manu-Chailengta area which was opposed by many including the royal scion Pradyot Bikram Kishor Debbarma. As per the proposed sites for giving settlement to the refugees includes the Manu-Chailengta which means that the proposal for setting up a firing range has been abandoned.

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