GUWAHATI: The nowhere people have finally got a home – and a stable vote – in election-bound Tripura.
Uttom Kumar Reang, a 32-year-old tribal community member, can now call himself a former refugee. He will vote on February 16, certain about his new home, Tripura.
The displaced Brus were torn between Tripura and Mizoram. In 1997, when Uttom was just six-year-old, some 45,000 Brus, including his parents, had fled to Tripura from Mamit, Kolasib and Lunglei districts in the wake of ethnic riots. The refugees were lodged in six relief camps and they kept living there.
After twenty-six years of struggle, Uttom and his tribespeople have finally found closure.
The government provided land along with Rs 1.5 lakh per family to build houses in what have now become permanent settlements. Uttom and his family now live in a house on the 1200-sq feet plot the government provided in a forested area near Haduklau in the Dhalai district.
Some 30,000 people like him have benefited from the resettlement reached in a quadripartite settlement among Bru/Reang representatives, Mizoram, Tripura and central governments two years ago.
More importantly, they were officially pronounced as voters of Tripura. They have been resettled at 11 places – three in Dhalai, six in North Tripura and two in Gomati districts.
"Finally, I will vote in Tripura. Earlier we used to travel from the six refugee camps in Tripura and vote in Mizoram but were never certain about our future," said Uttom affording himself a secure smile.
"We still have not got land for agriculture, but that we will see," added Uttom who completed his graduation aided by the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram.
These resettled people were to receive monthly livelihood cash doles of Rs 5,000 per family for two years since resettlement. For ten months now, they have not received the money.
It is quite a dilemma who they will vote for this time.
On one hand, the BJP-led government has given them the house and the right to vote. On the other hand, they cannot forget the support they received from Tripura’s royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma who heads the TIPRA Motha. He had aggressively pursued the issue of resettlement.
"We are grateful to both. It is very difficult to choose between them," said another settler requesting not to be named.
Bruno Mssa, who was among Bru leaders who negotiated with the government prior to the signing of the resettlement agreement, expressed concern that some 10,000 people are still leading a cluttered existence in the relief camps.
"These families get Rs 5 besides 600 grams of rice and 60 grams of salt per head per day from the government. They are somehow eking out a living by working as daily wagers," Mssa said.