Silchar, Nov. 26: The demonetisation move is likely to cast its shadow over the proposed repatriation of Bru refugees from North Tripura district to Mizoram, scheduled from Wednesday.

A senior Mizoram home department official told The Telegraph today: "We are done with the identification process and according to the road map, the repatriation is scheduled to begin from November 30. But nothing has been finalised yet. The state government has not received funds from the Centre to begin the repatriation. Unofficially, we have been told that the Centre could not release the money in view of the demonetisation move."

Altogether 32,857 Bru people belonging to 5,413 families have been identified for repatriation after the completion of the identification process in six relief camps at Kaskau, Khakchangpara, Hamsapara, Asapara, Naisingpara and Hazacherra in North Tripura.

The identification process was undertaken to determine whether the Bru families, lodged in relief camps in Tripura, are originally from Mizoram.

Mizoram additional secretary for home Lalbiakzama told this correspondent today that he did not have information if the repatriation would begin on Wednesday. "There was a fruitful meeting of the joint monitoring group, chaired by the special secretary of the ministry of home affairs (internal security), Mahesk Kumar Singla, on Thursday in Delhi. Many issues were discussed including the new set of demands put forward by the Bru leaders," he said.

The Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum, an apex body of Brus living in the relief camps, demanded disbursement of money to each repatriated family for construction of a house under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. The forum also demanded government jobs for the Bru youths.

The president of the forum, A. Sawibunga, accused the officials of violating the guidelines for the identification process. "According to the guidelines, the identification has to be done based on the voter list of 1995 or any other documents which prove that the person was a resident of Mizoram in 1995. But the officials did not take note of either ration cards or other documents issued by the Mizoram government," he alleged.

Thousands of Bru people were driven out of their homes in November 1997 in Mizoram in the aftermath of an ethnic conflict between the majority Mizos and minority Brus, who are called Reangs in Tripura.

The refugees will be allowed to take shelter in the three Mizoram districts of Mamit, Kolasib and Lunglei.

Between 2009 and 2011, as many as 3,000 Bru refugees were repatriated to Mizoram from six relief camps in North Tripura.

The Mizoram government had initiated a similar repatriation process last year but except one person, none agreed to return. A total of Rs 68.50 crore was earmarked for the repatriation last year.

Officials in the Mizoram home department said repatriation was now likely to begin from February 2017.