Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said the state government was preparing a master plan to modernise urban local bodies and upgrade civic infrastructure across the state. His remarks came two months before elections to 21 urban local bodies.

Saha was speaking after inaugurating a newly constructed two-storey ward office in Pratapgarh under the Agartala Municipal Corporation. He said the government had prepared plans to develop modern infrastructure in all Nagar Panchayat and Municipal Council areas alongside the implementation of the Smart City Mission in Agartala.

The ward office was built at a cost of Rs. 9.74 mn. Saha said the government’s objective was to ensure that all sections of society benefited from development and improved civic services, irrespective of political affiliation.

He said Agartala had recorded significant progress in recent years, particularly in civic infrastructure. Projects had focused on safe drinking water, road construction and repairs, drainage improvement, the provision of pucca houses, alternative employment opportunities and expanded healthcare services.

Under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 scheme, safe drinking water projects worth Rs. 1.12 bn had been implemented in Agartala. The government had also constructed 48 flats for economically weaker sections, while work on two additional flats was under way. Saha said 16,000 families had so far received safe drinking water through the project.

He added that several other programmes would be implemented under AMRUT 3.0. Sixty-five projects had been completed across Agartala under the Smart City Mission at a cost of Rs. 5.81 bn, while further schemes were being implemented to improve infrastructure, beautify the city and strengthen civic facilities in the municipal corporation area. Agartala Municipal Corporation Mayor and MLA Dipak Majumder, Deputy Mayor Monika Das Dutta, South Zone Chairman Abhijit Mallick and Commissioner Saju Wahid attended the event.