Verification of Brus begin, no one appears

Not a single Bru appeared before the Mizoram officials at the Khakchangpara relief camp in North Tripura district for identification as bona fide resident of Mizoram on the first day of the verification today.
Mamit district Deputy Commissioner Vanlalngaihsaka told PTI over phone that the makeshift verification office was closed by the officials at 3 pm after no one came forward for identification as bona fide resident of Mizoram.
Vanlalngaihsaka said that though no one came forward for identification, the process would continue as scheduled till June 18.
Earlier, the proposed repatriation of Brus from Kaskau relief camp, scheduled to be taken up between June 8 to 12 could not be undertaken as no one came forward for identification during June 2 to June 4.

Following instructions from the Supreme Court to repatriate all the Brus from the six relief camps in North Tripura district within six months, the Centre and the state government initiated resumption of the repatriation.
Mizoram government prepared Road Map-IV for Bru repatriation commencing from June 1 to be continued till September 4.

As per the road map, 3,455 Bru families were proposed to be repatriated and resettled in Mamit, Kolasib and Lunglei districts.
State Additional Secretary for Home Lalbiakzama said that the efforts to repatriate would continue as per schedule even if no one comes forward for identification in the relief camps.

"We have to implement the instructions of the apex court to the letter," Lalbiakzama said, adding that the Supreme Court approved the road map prepared by the state government.
Plans to repatriate the Brus who migrated from Mizoram to Tripura during the later part of 1997 was stalled repeatedly as the Bru leaders made a series of demands including increase of rehabilitation package from Rs 85,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh.