Kanchanpur wears a deserted look as JMC calls strike against mass settlement of Bru refugees

North Tripura district's Kanchanpur wore a deserted look with near zero vehicular activities across the sub-division owing to a dawn to dusk strike called by Joint Movement Committee. The joint movement committee an amalgamated body of local Bengali and Mizo organizations resented the settlement of Bru refugees in the state government proposed sites. 

According to the organization, altogether 4600 families of Bru refugees who were waiting to get a permanent residentship of Tripura as per the recently signed quadripartite pact were to be settled within the Kanchanpur sub-division. The JMC cited that the government contradicted the repeated petitions being made from the part of the JMC opposing mass the settlement of the Brus in Kanchanpur region.

"We the undersigned, on behalf of the Bengali and Mizo communities of Kanchanpur Sub-Division would like to express our shock and disappointment with the proposed settlement of 4600 families of Mizoram Bru migrants within Kanchanpur Sub-Division. This proposal from the government grossly contradicts our proposal that we have submitted to the Chief Secretary on 23rd July 2020 during our video-conference meeting with him", a letter addressing the Chief Minister said.  

The JMC reiterating it's set of demands suggested that maximum 500 families could be settled here and the rest of them must be settled in scattered way all across the state. 

"We would like to re-emphasize that in principle we are not against the Quadrilateral Bru Settlement Agreement signed in New Delhi on 16th January 2020. In fact, we congratulate and welcome the Agreement. However, we are still maintaining our logical stand that equitable distribution of families in all the Districts and Sub-Divisions is critically important to avoid NEGATIVE social, cultural, political, environmental and ecological impacts it can have on our Kanchanpur Sub-Division. We, therefore, maintain our stand that maximum 500 families are settled in Kanchanpur Sub-Division in the specific places that we have mentioned in our previous proposal, namely Sakhan Hills, Bandarima, Chaigarhpur. Pushporampara and Kalarambari", the letter added. 

The organization also demanded an immediate resettlement package for the 81 Mizo and 650 Bengali families that were rendered homeless in the year 2000 followed by violence launched by the Brus.

"We also demand a resettlement package for 81 displaced families from 6 mizo villages 650 displaced Bengali families from ten (10) Bengali villages in the year 2000. It is our prayer and hope that you will look into our request and give serious consideration it deserves."