AGARTALA: A group of inmates at the Bru refugee camps of Tripura have resorted to a hunger strike for the last three days, demanding modification to the agreement of the one-time financial grant of Rs 4 lakh which will be handed over to the families. A repatriation package offered Rs 1.5 lakh housing assistance to the refugees in three instalments, Rs 4 lakh assistance for sustenance, which would be handed over after three years, Rs 5,000 monthly cash assistance and free ration for two years.Naisinghpara, one of the six camps for the refugees in Tripura, has thrown up a fresh controversy despite the agreement signed on July 3. Around 10-15 inmates at the camp have reportedly demanded that some advance payment be made to the refugees instead of making them wait for the amount. They have said they need the cash in hand to sustain themselves after their return to Mizoram Officials from the Tripura government said on Sunday a small section of Bru leaders are attempting to derail the rehabilitation process and trying to make money in the name of rehabilitating refugees. Referring to the fears raised by the refugees on hunger strike, they said the Mizoram government has agreed to install security pickets in the villagers where they are rehabilitated and to initiate integrated projects for holistic development of the villages.Joint secretary of the ministry of home affairs (MHA) MK Singla arrived from New Delhi on Sunday to hold discussions with the agitators.Officials also said there is no chance of the process of rehabilitation being delayed further as an agreement has been signed to close all six camps in Tripura by October. "Both the Tripura and the Mizoram governments have decided to finish the repatriation within the deadline. So there is no chance to drag the process further and the government is ready to start the process of repatriation soon," said a senior civil service officer of North Tripura on Sunday.The agreement was signed by Bru leaders, MHA and the governments of Tripura and Mizoram in Delhi in the presence of Union home minister Rajnath Singh and the chief ministers of the two states. Special secretary (internal security) to the Union home ministry Rina Mitra, Tripura chief secretary Sanjeev Ranjan, Mizoram principal secretary Lalnunmawia Chuaungo and Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF) president A Sawibunga had put their signatures in the agreement.According to the package decided upon, Rs 4 lakh will be kept in fixed deposit accounts in the name of the head of the family within one month of repatriation. The money will remain in fixed deposit for two years and the money will be given to the families once they complete three years of stay in Mizoram. Each family will be given Rs 5,000 per month as cash assistance for a period of two years from the date of repatriation. Apart from this, each family will be provided Rs 1.5 lakh for building a house. The amount will be disbursed in three installments - Rs. 25,000 at the time of repatriation, Rs. 50,000 on completion of 50% construction of the house and the remaining Rs 75,000 will be given on completion of cent percent construction. Besides, they will be given free ration for two years.In 1997, a bout of ethnic violence forced thousands of people from the Bru tribe to leave their homes in Mizoram. An attempt at repatriation began in 2010 and some people even moved back. In December 2017, the Mizoram government announced that it had identified 32,857 people belonging to 5,413 families for repatriation.MBDPF leaders said the group which is demonstrating in demand of advance payment is working in detriment to the benefit of the Bru refugees. An MBDPF leader said, "Our refugee life will soon be over and we will lead normal lives as Indian citizens from next month. Uncertainty over the future of our children is also going to be resolved."After their return, Bru families will be settled in the three districts of Kolasib, Lunglei and Mamit in western Mizoram where they used to live. About 30,000 Bru people had to flee their homes in western Mizoram following ethnic strife in October 1997 and had taken shelter in six camps of North Tripura.

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