The BJP-IPFT government of Tripura has decided to extend relief assistance up to March 2020 to the displaced Brus who are staying in six relief camps in the North Tripura district.
The revenue department has directed the district magistrate of North Tripura to extend assistance to the Brus on Monday.
“The state government has decided to continue ration, including cash doles, to the Bru migrants from the month of November 2019 to March 2020. Necessary action may kindly be taken accordingly,” the order reads.
Kanchanpur subdivisional magistrate Abhedananda Baidya said: “On Monday, the state government issued a statement to extend ration and other assistances to the Bru refugees, but we have not got any further information regarding their resettlement and repatriation.”
The displaced Brus alleged that six persons in the camp died of starvation when the Centre stopped ration on October 1. They staged road blockades for a week. The state government later resumed ration till November.
The general secretary of the Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum, Bruno Msha, told this correspondent that they were happy that the government had again extended support.
“Indeed it is good news that the government has extended assistance. We started facing problems due to the stoppage of ration and other relief assistances. We will have to rethink about our agitation slated for Friday. We will again sit and discuss our next course of action,” he said.
On Monday, the displaced Brus decided to stage a sit-in on Friday in front of the office of the district magistrate and collector, Dharmanagar.