AGARTALA, Nov 21 - What could be seen as a major development in resolving a vexed problem, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has made a humanitarian appeal to the Centre to rehabilitate the Bru refugees in Tripura with a special package for resettlement, sources said.
In a letter addressed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Deb forwarded the proposal, seeking rehabilitation of around 34,000 Bru people sheltered at Kanchanpur and Panisagar in the State as they �feel it safe�.
Currently, 34,000 Bru people belonging to 5,082 families, who were dislodged from Mizoram in the wake of ethnic strifes, have been living in six relief camps of the State since October 1997.
�Even though Reang ethnic tribe people are bonafide residents of Mizoram, they are living in Tripura for long years. Literally, they have been leading a miserable life here for the past 23 years. This is very shameful. The State Government, therefore, wants to rehabilitate all the refugees in Tripura if Central government permits,� Deb said in the letter on November 17.
Deb added that it the Centre allows a special package, the State will rehabilitate all the Bru refugees living in Tripura. But all of them will not be provided rehabilitation at a particular place. It can be done at five to six locations due to land constraints.
The Chief Minister�s request is under active consideration of the Central Government, the sources said.
