Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday appealed to Reangs, displaced from Mizoram and sheltered in camps in north Tripura, to return home.
“I have told them that you should not spend your whole life in camps here. Go home and rebuild your life,” Mr. Chidambaram told journalists here about his interaction with a delegation of the Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum headed by its president Swaibunga at a camp at Naisingpara.
Asked if the Mizoram government would take the Reangs back, Mr. Chidambaram said he would visit Aizawl next month to speak to the Chief Minister about repatriation.
“If necessary, I will come to Tripura again. The Centre wants to solve the problem as early as possible.”
The Centre had sanctioned Rs. 33 crore to the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region for repatriation of the Reangs, he said.
At least 36,660 Reangs, who had fled Mizoram following disturbances, were sheltered in six camps at Kanchanpur.
Mr. Swaibunga said they submitted a 23-point charter of demands including restoration of ancestral land occupied by the Mizos, a proper rehabilitation package, and safety and security of life and property.
Mr. Chidambaram told the delegation that the demands would be addressed if they returned home. Later, Mr. Chidambaram met Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar at the Secretariat here.
