Rice Shortage in Mizoram Hits Bru Repatriation

By Samudra Gupta Kashyap

Aizawl, Nov 27 : A series of protests by anti-repatriation groups, coupled with a severe shortage of rice in the state, has prompted the Mizoram government to go for a temporary halt in continuing with the repatriation of Bru refugees from the neighbouring state of Tripura.

Official sources in Aizawl said Mizoram was facing a severe shortage of rice in view of short supply by Food Corporation of India (FCI) in the recent months.

“It has become a problem for the state to feed its own people. In such a situation, providing free ration to the Bru refugees is definitely going to be a problem,” a senior state government official said over the phone.

The repatriation of refugees, over 30,000 of them, who have been staying in sub-human condition in relief camps in the Kanchanpur sub-division in Tripura for over 13 years now, had just begun when Mizoram has been hit by a rice shortage.

“With the stock position of rice is depleting, the state government has temporarily halted the Bru repatriation process.

While altogether 101 families have been brought back and settled in the past two weeks or more, we are now waiting for the rice stocks to improve,” said David H Lalthangliana, OSD in the state Home department.

The Mizoram government is required to provide free ration to the repatriated Bru refugees for a period of one year. Though funds for this free ration come from the Centre, with the foodstocks depleting, the repatriation has been put off for now, he said.

Earlier, protests by a section of Bru refugees who are against repatriation had also created hurdles. “Every time we go to Kanchanpur, they put up a road blockade and hold demonstrations against us. This has also hampered the repatriation process,” Lalthangliana said.