10,000 inmates of Assam relief camps return home

As many as 10,000 inmates of relief camps have returned to their homes since Monday, reducing the total number of camp inmates in the four violence-hit districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Dhubri and Bongaingaon to 2,92,852 on Tuesday. Of them, 2,31,308 inmates are in 175 camps for the Muslims, 61,439 in 51 camps for the Bodos, and 105 inmates in one camp for the remaining communities.

Dhubri district has the highest number 1,55,314 inmates in 133 camps for the Muslims. There are no relief camps for the Bodos in the district. As on Tuesday, Kokrajhar district has a total of 77,459 inmates, including 54,825 Bodos in 44 camps, 22,529 Muslims in 11 camps, and 105 belonging to the remaining communities in one camp. Chirang district has a total of 24 camps, accommodating 47,459 inmates, including 40,863 Muslims in 17 relief camps, and 6,614 Bodos in seven relief camps. Bongaingaon district has 12 relief camps for the Muslims with 12,502 inmates, while there are no relief camps for the Bodos in the district. During the peak of violence, the number of inmates in relief camps in the four violence-hit districts rose to 4,85,921.

The State government initially set a target date of August 15 for rehabilitation of all the inmates. United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, during her visit to the camps in Kokrajhar and Dhubri districts, said in the presence of Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, that all the refugees wanted to go home, but it may take some more time.

Source: The Hindu