militants-block-rail-road-over-rehab-package-delay-in-tripura

Members of two former militant organisations in Tripura launched a 72-hour rail-road blockade on Friday, demanding the implementation of a Rs 250 crore rehabilitation package promised under a peace agreement signed with the Centre and the state government.

 

The blockade, organised by the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF), disrupted train services and brought vehicular movement to a halt on key national highways in West Tripura district, officials said.

 

The protest comes nearly two years after the signing of a Memorandum of Settlement among the Centre, the Tripura government and the two outfits in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

 

Speaking to reporters at Hatai Katar in West Tripura district, NLFT leader Prasenjit Debbarma said discussions with Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma on Thursday had yielded some positive outcomes, but two key demands remained unresolved.

 

According to Debbarma, the organisations objected to the government's decision to engage an external agency to implement the rehabilitation package for surrendered militants, alleging that it was contrary to the spirit of the peace accord.

 

He also claimed that the screening process for extending benefits under the package to eligible members was progressing slowly and urged the authorities to expedite the exercise.

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“The process of screening our members to extend benefits under the rehabilitation package is very slow. We demanded that the process be expedited at the earliest,” he said.

 

While defending the agitation, the NLFT leader acknowledged that the blockade was causing inconvenience to the public and appealed to both the Centre and the state government to address the organisations' concerns.

 

“We are waiting for a call from the Centre and the state government for an amicable solution to our long-standing problem,” he said.

 

Officials said train operations were severely affected by the blockade. Vehicular movement was also disrupted on the Assam-Agartala National Highway and the Agartala-Kamalpur National Highway, affecting commuters and the movement of goods.

 

The state administration is monitoring the situation, while efforts are underway to restore normalcy and engage with the protesting groups.