Homeless in Tripura: Around 40 Families Camp in Forests to Seek Government Action

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Posted in Featured, Northeast, Tripura
Abhijit Nath, NET Correspondent, Tripura

Agartala, May 18, 2024: In a bid to draw government attention to their plight, around 30 to 40 families from various parts of North Tripura district have been spending their nights in the forests of Pekuacherra under Panisagar subdivision. These families are landless and hope that their protest will prompt the government to issue them permanent land titles.

The families had previously built their homes on government lands, making them vulnerable to eviction. They have now moved to the forest, setting up makeshift huts using tarpaulin sheets and bamboo, aiming to secure a more stable future. Kartik Nama, one of the protesters, highlighted the precariousness of their situation.

“We have come here from the Jayashree area under Dhanajay Para,” Nama explained. “Our house is next to a police station, and recently, half of our land was taken for the station’s expansion. The rest is also earmarked for government projects. We won’t have any land left to live on if this continues.”

Nama, a beneficiary of the PM-Awas Yojana, expressed frustration over the government’s actions. “I just completed my new house with government funds, but now they want to take the land back. I am here to make the government listen. If they grant us the right to our land, I will be the first to leave this forest.”

Krishna Nath, another resident shared his family’s ordeal. “We moved here from Kanchanpur to escape ethnic tensions after the displaced Brus were settled near us. We had no legal ownership of our previous home,” Nath stated. “We have lived in multiple places, but conflict drove us away each time. We want the government to address our problems.”

A delegation from the opposition CPIM party led by two MLAs recently visited the families in the forest. The MLAs urged them to return home, emphasizing that the law does not permit human settlements in reserved forest areas.

“We managed to convince several families, and five have returned home,” said CPI(M) MLA Shailendra Chandra Nath. “We will bring their issues to the concerned authorities and raise their voices in the upcoming assembly session.”

Chief Minister Manik Saha has also commented on the issue, acknowledging the need for a humanitarian approach. “The law does not allow settlements in reserved forest areas,” Saha stated. “However, we will consider this matter on humanitarian grounds.”

The families continue to hope for a resolution that will provide them with the security and stability they desperately seek.

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