Hunger strike by border displaced people

Agartala, Feb 7 (PTI) The relay hunger strike launched bythe displaced people due to erection of barbed wire fencingalong 856-km-long Indo-Bangla border entered for the sixth daytoday.

Subal Bhowmick, President of Simanta Bhumi SurakshaCommittee said, "The internally displaced people wouldcontinue their movement unless they are given assurance inwriting by the government that they will be properlyrehabilitated."

Tripura''s 856-km-long border with Bangladesh has beenfenced along 675 km to check infiltration of illegal migrantsand stop Indian insurgents from fleeing to Bangladesh. Thefence is also intended at helping prevent illegal trade andtrans-border crime.

The major demands of the displaced people includepublication of names of 8500 families, construction of fencingalong zero-point to save Indian soil, government employmentfor each affected family and allotment of alternative land forthem.

Bhowmick said thousands of displaced people from differentparts of the state planned to assemble in Agartala toparticipate a central rally on February 14.

"The state government has done little for therehabilitation of the affected poor families even afterreceiving a hefty amount of money from Centre," he said.

However, Government officials said many of the displacedpeople were given rehabilitation by the government and addedthat just after the erection of fencing started, the stategovernment had sent a project of Rs 95 crore to the centralgovernment for their rehabilitation but the project was notpassed by the central government.