Agartala/Aizawl, Sep 28 (IANS): Around 5,010 people out of the 37,136 displaced Reang tribals, who migrated from Mizoram 25 years ago following ethnic troubles, were enrolled in the electoral lists of Tripura, officials said here on Wednesday.
An official of the Tripura Election Department said that as per the quadripartite agreement, signed in January 2020 between the Centre, Tripura and Mizoram governments and the Reang tribal leaders, at least 11,800 people out of the 37,136 displaced Reang tribals would be enrolled in the voters' list of Tripura.
In Aizawl, Joint Chief Electoral Officer of Mizoram Election Department David Liansanglura Pachuau said that following the communication from the Tripura Election Department, names of around 1,600 voters, earlier enrolled in the electoral list of nine assembly constituencies in Mizoram, have been removed so far.
The process of removal of names from the electoral list of Mizoram are going on, the Joint CEO said.
An official of Tripura's Tribal Welfare Department said in Agartala that due to the complicated enrollment process in regards to the displaced Reang tribals, conduct of the election to the Village Committees in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council was being delayed.
Hearing a writ petition, the Tripura High single bench Judge Arindam Lodh earlier this week directed the State Election Commission to complete the process of preparing electoral roll expeditiously and hold the election (of Village Committees) in accordance with law taking into account the grievance of the petitioners.
An official of Tripura's Revenue Department said that 37,136 displaced Reang tribals comprising 6,959 families are being rehabilitated in 12 locations in four of Tripura's 8 districts - North Tripura, Dhalai, Gomati, and South Tripura.
"The target for the resettlement of these displaced Reang tribals by August 31 could not be achieved due to the numerous land related issues, forest land clearance, fresh troubles, threats of agitation against the rehabilitation and numerous other issues," the official, who did not want to be named, told IANS.
He said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the implementation of the quadripartite agreement with Chief Minister Manik Saha in Delhi on September 20.
Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Tripura Chief Secretary J.K. Sinha and senior Home Ministry officials were also present in the meeting.
According to the officials, so far, 3,696 of the 6,959 families have been re-settled and the rest are in the process.