All unconnected habitations to be linked to National Highways with double-lane roads: Tripura CM

Agartala, July 18 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday informed that all district headquarters, subdivision headquarters, and unconnected habitations would be connected to the national highways with double-lane roads.

The Chief Minister also informed that a 49 km ring road is proposed under the Bharatmala scheme, launched by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, for Agartala city.

While addressing a seminar on Infrastructure Development in the northeast region of India at Pragna Bhavan, he said that over the last seven years, the state government has spearheaded numerous ground-breaking initiatives resulting in a transformative impact on the socio-economic landscape of the state.

“Without infrastructure, nothing can be achieved. Infrastructure matters a lot for growth, which is widely recognised and is a key parameter for any state or region. Infrastructure is the mainstay of the primary sector, industries, services, skill development, and social empowerment,” said Saha, who also holds the PWD portfolio. If we talk about physical infrastructure like roads, airports, highways, power projects, water supply, and urban infrastructure, all of these together hold the key to the growth of the northeastern region, the Chief Minister said.

He said that at the Northeast Rising Summit 2025 in New Delhi on May 23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his speech, mentioned that the northeast means Ashtalakshmi because the region comprises eight states. Saha said that a very important step has been taken by the Government of India by setting up the Ministry of DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region) for the overall development of the region.

“The northeastern region is often referred to as India’s powerhouse due to its massive hydropower, petroleum, and gas potential. The region can play a pivotal role in meeting India's clean energy targets. Tripura and other northeastern states are strategically located between Bangladesh and Southeast Asian countries, acting as a gateway. The Tripura government has placed significant emphasis on infrastructure development,” he said.

The Chief Minister said this is evident from the fact that more than Rs 7,000 crore was allocated in this year’s (2025-26) state budget for infrastructure development in the state.

“In Tripura, the total road length under PWD is about 10,618.423 km, which includes 1,057 km of state highways, 171 km of major district roads, 483 km of other district roads, 1,167 km of urban roads, and 7,740 km of village roads. Tripura has a national highway network of about 923 km, with four additional highways declared in principle for a length of about 229 km. Out of the 923 km of national highways, around 509 km have already been developed into double-lane roads with paved shoulders by 2025. We plan to upgrade 1,057 km of state highways into double-lane roads with paved shoulders in a phased manner,” said Saha.

He also informed that the Light House Project to provide accommodation to the lower-income group of people is on the verge of completion. “We are also constructing the Unity Mall and a number of high-rise buildings for various departments. In this way, we are developing infrastructure in Tripura to bring the North Eastern region on par with other parts of the country,” he added.

Founder President of Indian Building Congress, O.P. Goel, Indian Building Congress President Chinmay Debnath, and others were present at the seminar.

--IANS

sc/uk