Agartala, Dec 22 (NationPress) Tripura's Chief Minister Manik Saha on Sunday condemned the previous Left Front government for its inability to address the 23-year-long Reang tribal crisis in the state, affirming that the unwavering efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have ultimately resolved this prolonged dilemma.
While speaking at an event at Kulai RF Village Ground in Dhalai District, the Chief Minister remarked that the plight of internally displaced Reang tribals was left unaddressed for 23 years during the Left Front's governance, which lasted for nearly 35 years in two segments (1978 to 1988 and 1993 to 2018).
Thanks to the dedicated initiatives of Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Shah, this age-old issue has now been tackled, he stated.
“Both the Central and state governments are taking appropriate measures to ensure the proper rehabilitation of the displaced Reang tribals,” added Saha.
During the occasion, the Union Home Minister officially launched six development projects and laid the foundation stones for seven additional projects valued at approximately Rs 668.39 crore.
“We endured nearly 35 years of Left Front rule in Tripura. Yet, the Reang tribal community lived in dire conditions for 23 years. Through the dedicated efforts of our Prime Minister and Home Minister, this decades-old ethnic crisis has been resolved,” expressed the Chief Minister, extending his gratitude to both leaders for addressing this vital issue.
Saha noted that the government has established plans for the rehabilitation of displaced Reang tribals across 12 locations in the state.
“Efforts have been completed in 11 sites, with the remaining work in Shantir Bazar (in South Tripura) nearing completion. Every provision of the agreement signed between the Central government, Tripura government, Mizoram government, and Reang tribal leaders will be fully executed. The state government is adhering to the directives of the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister,” he explained.
Saha disclosed that a total of 1,754 acres of land has been allocated for the resettlement of the displaced tribals.
“To date, 6,935 families comprising 37,584 individuals have been rehabilitated. Infrastructure such as electricity connections, brick-paved roads, deep tube wells for purified drinking water, ration shops, Anganwadi centres, schools, and primary health centres have been established,” he stated.
The Chief Minister revealed that an initial budget of Rs 500 crore was earmarked for this initiative, but with the intervention of the Union Home Minister, Rs 821.98 crore has been utilized thus far.
The displaced Reang tribals (locally referred to as Bru) migrated in phases from Mizoram between 1997 and 2009 due to ethnic conflicts in the adjacent state, subsequently reaching an agreement to settle in 12 locations across four districts of Tripura - North Tripura, Dhalai, Gomati, and South Tripura.
After numerous years of conflicts and protests, a quadripartite agreement was formalized on January 16, 2020, involving the Centre, Tripura, and Mizoram governments along with Reang tribal leaders to resettle 37,584 tribal immigrants consisting of 6,935 families in 12 locations within four of Tripura’s eight districts.
