Aizawl: The Mizoram government on Friday urged the Centre to expedite the release of relief to over 11,000 internally displaced people (IDP) from violence-hit Manipur, an official statement said.
The state government had sought Rs 10 crore as immediate relief for the displaced people taking shelter in different parts of Mizoram since ethnic violence broke out in the neighbouring state on May 3.
Tourism minister Robert Romawia Royte, delegated by the state government, on Friday called on Union home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla in Delhi and urged him to sanction the money at the earliest, the statement said.
Bhalla assured Royte that the Centre will soon sanction the relief package, it said.
During the meeting, Royte informed Bhalla that more than 11,000 people from Manipur, mostly women, children and the elderly, are currently taking shelter in Mizoram due to the ethnic violence.
The state government, NGOs, and churches are providing shelter and food to the displaced people, he said.
Citing that Mizoram is in dire need of the Centre’s help, Royte said that the state government could face a crisis if relief is not provided to the displaced people immediately.
He urged the Centre to take measures for restoration of peace in Manipur while noting that recent incidents of violence have clearly manifested that the state is yet to limp back to normalcy.
According to the state home department, altogether 11,503 people fleeing ethnic strife in Manipur have entered Mizoram till Friday.
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Among these, 8,634 people live outside the relief camps, while 2,869 people have lodged in 35 relief camps set up by the government and villages, it said.
Kolasib district located near the border with Assam currently hosts the highest number of displaced people at 4,109, followed by Aizawl district-3,825, and Saitual district 2,809, it said.
Displaced people belonging to the Kuki-Hmar-Zomi-Mizo group have been taking shelter in all the 11 districts of the state.
The Kuki-Hmar-Zomi-Mizo community, collectively known as Kukis, share ethnic ties with the Mizos.
Two Mizoram’s districts- Aizawl and Saitual – share more than 90-km-long border with Manipur’s Churachandpur and Pherzawl districts.
Also Read | Manipur crisis: Mizoram seeks Rs 10 crore relief from Centre