Photo Courtesy: nenews
Agartala: A group representing surrendered militants in Tripura has cancelled its planned rail and road blockade after productive negotiations with state officials. The Tripura Guerrilla Returnees’ Demand Committee originally scheduled the protest for June 5 to coincide with a visit from Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The decision to halt the agitation followed a meeting chaired by Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma. During the session, the committee presented a five-point charter of demands focused on the rehabilitation and livelihood support of former militants. Director of the Tribal Welfare Department, Subhasish Das, confirmed that the government promised to review these concerns thoroughly.
A significant portion of the talks focused on rehabilitation support through the Chief Minister’s Rubber Mission. While the project scope grew from 30,000 hectares to 69,000 hectares, financial support has not yet caught up to the expanded scale. Regarding the ongoing efforts to secure funding, Das stated, “The state government has already approached NABARD seeking additional funds to facilitate implementation of the entire project.”
To ensure a long-term resolution, the government and the committee have scheduled a follow-up meeting for June 9. This session will involve multiple government departments tasked with finding sustainable ways to integrate former militants into the state economy.
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