North East Rising

Mizoram, 25th November: Zoram Peoples Movement (ZPM) has written to the Election Commission urging the poll panel to delete names of Bru voters who are in Tripura, from Mizoram electoral roll, a party leader said.

According to election officials, at least 12,000 Bru voters in Mizoram among others, who have opted to permanently resettle in Tripura.

ZPM publicity department secretary Laldinpuia said “the representation demanding the removal of Bru voters’ names from Mizoram electoral was submitted to the Election Commission through state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO)”.

The letter said that the Bru migrants, who used to live in Mizoram but left the state on their own in 1997 and now settled in Tripura are still enrolled in Mizoram electoral roll more than two decades after they depart from the state.

It said that many attempts have been made by the Centre, state governments and civil society organisations to repatriate the displaced Bru people to Mizoram.

“Though many Bru families have returned to Mizoram during the repatriation exercises, majority of the Bru people have refused to return making fallacious and misguided excuses and are still settling in Tripura,” the letter said.

The letter also said that because of the special summary revision, which is currently underway in the state, names of the Bru voters should be deleted from the state’s electoral roll according to the January 16 agreement, which stated that the Bru people, who failed to return to Mizoram, would be permanently settled in Tripura.

Meanwhile, an official of state election department said that there are about 12,000 Bru voters in Mizoram, who failed to return to the state during repatriation.

He said that the Bru voters are still enrolled in the state’s voter list because their resettlement in neighbouring Tripura is under process.

“Once the Bru people have resettled and when their epic numbers are entered on EROnet to be enrolled in Tripura’s voter list, a corresponding deletion request will be sent to Mizoram and hence the Bru voters will be automatically removed from the state electoral roll,” the official said.

He said that resettlement of the Bru people in Tripura is outside the election commission’s ambit.

Thousands of Brus fled Mizoram and migrated to Tripura fearing ethnic tension triggered by the murder of a Mizo forest guard in 1997.

There have been at least nine attempts for repatriation of the Brus to Mizoram, with the latest round of repatriation organised between October and November 2019, during which 1,165 Brus, belonging to 289 families, had returned to Mizoram.

According to the agreement signed among the Centre, governments of Mizoram and Tripura and representatives of Bru organisations on January 16 this year, more than 35,000 displaced Bru tribals, who failed to return to Mizoram before November 2019 and were in refugee camps in Tripura, would be permanently settled in that state.

Earlier on Saturday, civil society groups in Mizoram urged the Centre and Mizoram and Tripura government to take measures for immediate fulfilment of the January 16 agreement.

Mizoram, 25th November: Two persons have been killed and five others injured after a speeding vehicle falls into a gorge in Mizoram’s Serchhip district, police said on Wednesday.

The incident took place near Thenzawl village on Tuesday evening when the vehicle skidded and fell into the gorge while trying to give way to another vehicle coming from the opposite direction, they said.

Two persons, both from Thenzawl, died in the accident when a speeding vehicle falls into a gorge, a police officer said.

Seven persons, including two minors, were in the vehicle during the accident, he said.

The condition of the injured persons is stable and they are out of danger, the officer added.

Mizoram, 25th November: The Mizoram Election Commission (EC) has decided to hold re-election to the North Vanlaiphai village council in Serchhip district following a complaint over discrepancies in the last rural polls held on August 27 this year.

About 15 people, including 10 candidates who had contested in the last rural polls have filed a complaint before the election commission in this regard.

Mizoram election commission officials said that a re-poll in the seven-member North Vanlaiphai village council will be held as the mandate of the last general elections was declared null and void due to discrepancies.

While the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) won four seats, the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) secured two and the Congress one during the election to this village council.

Election officials said that the date for re-poll will be declared soon.

Polling for 558 village councils in nine districts and 83 local councils in the Aizawl Municipal Corporation (AMC) area was held between August to September.

The election commission has received petitions from at least 42 village councils and 6 local councils seeking re-poll or re-counting and probe into alleged discrepancies in several poll-related issues. The matter is currently being investigated.

Mizoram, 24th November: Land Revenue & Settlement Minister Lalruatkima and Law Judicial and Parliamentary Affairs Minister who is also the MLA of Champhai South Constituency TJ Lalnuntluanga discussed steps taken for re-demarcation of wet rice cultivation areas within Champhai Town Area and steps to protect the land use for agriculture in these areas.

The meeting which was attended by senior officers of the Agriculture and Land Revenue & Settlement Departments reviewed the steps taken on the matter so far and reviewed the report of the Task Force formed on the matter.

In the meeting, it is decided that once the final report of the task Force is submitted, a new notification demarcating WRC areas with permissible diversions, be issued and the notification strictly enforced thereafter.

The meeting also opined that similar steps need to be taken in other towns having WRC areas.

Mizoram, 24th November: The Mizoram government has provided at least 74 days of wage employment to job car holders under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) from January to October this year.

This was mentioned at a meeting of the state employment guarantee council, presided over by state rural development minister Lalruatkima on Tuesday, the official said.

Besides 74 days, 7 days of wage employment each will be arranged for job cardholders in November and December, he said.

Lalruatkima said the state government is making massive efforts to achieve 100 days of wage employment during the current fiscal.

He said the Centre has so far released Rs 494.34 crore for providing wage employment during the current fiscal.

According to the minister, there are about 2 lakh job cardholders in the state and each worker is given Rs 225 per day under the Centre scheme. The MGNREGS was a blessing for the rural populace during the pandemic.

Lalruakima said “the Covid19 pandemic effects may have a shortfall in agriculture production next year. Works, which could augment production, needed to be prioritized to any extent possible under the MGNREGS.”