Newmai News Network Aizawl | July 22 Even as uncertainty has gripped the repatriation of over 32,800 Bru tribals from Tripura to Mizoram after the Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF), an apex body of displaced Bru families in Tripura, pulled out of the quadripartite agreement, the Mizoram government is all set to begin the repatriation process from August 14, two days ahead of the earlier schedule, State Home department officials said on Sunday. The officials of the Home department said that 32,857 Bru refugees from 5,413 families would be repatriated from six relief camps in Tripura and they would be resettled in 48 villages in Mamit district, 10 villages in Kolasib district bordering Assam and 4 villages in south Mizoram's Lunglei district. They also said that hectic preparations are on for the repatriation of Bru families and detailed plans have been chalked out under the leadership of concerned district deputy commissioners. Proper plans have also been already evolved for construction of dwelling houses and giving livelihood assistance to the repatriated Bru families, they said. According to the officials, the repatriated families would be initially lodged at makeshift camps after which they will be allowed to construct houses of their own on the land given by respective village councils in three districts - Mamit, Kolasib and Lunglei. They added that genuine Bru residents of Mizoram who have been identified in November 2016 would be repatriated in their respective villages. As per the quadripartite agreement signed by the Centre, Tripura and Mizoram governments and MBDPF on July 3 in New Delhi, the last batch of Bru families living in six relief camps in Tripura are to be repatriated in multi phases starting from August 16 and the repatriation process is scheduled to be completed by September 30. However, the Mizoram government has decided to begin the repatriation two days ahead of the earlier schedule and planned to complete the process by September 10 as the state government opposed the Election Commission of India’s proposal to conduct electoral revision at refugee camps in Tripura to enable Bru voters exercise franchise during the state assembly elections which is due this year end and Lok Sabha election next year. The state government has proposed that electoral revision of Bru families should be conducted once they return to Mizoram. The ECI has asked the state government to complete the repatriation process by September 10 as it wants to publish final electoral roll for state assembly elections and Lok Sabha elections latest by September 27, the officials said. However, uncertainty still lingers on as the MBDPF had pulled out of the agreement following a severe agitation by the refugees over repatriation packages on July 16. Of the 32,857 Bru refugees, who would be repatriated soon, 23,280 are adults and 9,577 are children. 4,199 families will be settled in Mamit district, 824 in Kolasib district and the rest 384 families in Lunglei district. Meanwhile, YMA president Vanlalruata told reporters that all the genuine Bru residents should return to Mizoram.
