More than 150 people from Mizoram have reportedly returned on their own during an exercise by the state government to bring back stranded residents from four northeastern states, an official of the home department said on Wednesday.

The Mizoram government had carried out an exercise to bring back nearly 700 people stranded in Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura, between April 30 and May 2.

The stranded residents were asked to report to the deputy resident commissioner (DRC) of Mizoram Houses and Young Mizo Association (YMA) of the states where they were stranded to facilitate their return.

The official said the stranded people have returned to the state on their own without informing the DRCs or YMA leaders, which has inconvenienced the state government with regard to allocation of quarantine facilities and food.

Meanwhile, the Opposition Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) on Wednesday demanded disciplinary action against those who returned on their own.

A statement issued by the party said those people, who returned on their own, have made the state vulnerable to the spread of novel coronavirus.

ZPM asked the state government to round up the people and send them to designated quarantine centres immediately.

However, home secretary Lalbiaksangi said all the stranded people, who returned from the Northeast recently, have been quarantined at designated quarantine facilities in different parts of the state.

She told The Telegraph that about 154 people, who were stranded in Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura, have returned to Mizoram on their own without informing the state government, DRCs and YMA leaders, creating a gap in the management system.

“It doesn’t mean that the returnees are not being sent to quarantine facilities. But the fact is that they were left out of the list as they failed to report to DRCs and YMA leaders before they returned,” she said.