Centre to invest over Rs 427 crore in Tripura's urban development; state to generate 300 MW power by next year: Union Minister

Union Minister for Power, Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar today, May 31 said that the Centre will spend over Rs 427 crore on urban development and informed that Tripura is prepared to generate 300 megawatts of power by next year.

The Union Minister today reviewed the Power and Urban Affairs departments of Tripura along with Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha and Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath at the State Guest House.

Later, he said that detailed discussions were held regarding the waste management project at the dumping station located in DC Nagar, on the outskirts of Agartala city, and that Rs 100 crore has been provided by the Central Government for the project, which is nearing completion.

“Door-to-door waste collection was also discussed. Regarding toilets, household toilets, community toilets, aspirational toilets and market toilets were discussed. A survey deadline of June 20 has been set, and funds will be provided accordingly to complete the pending toilet construction works in the coming years. In other municipal bodies except Agartala, there are no Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), and 11 new STPs are under construction. These will be completed by December this year,” he said.

The Minister also informed that four major cities, including Agartala, Dharmanagar, Melaghar and Udaipur, have been identified, and he urged authorities to maintain higher standards of cleanliness as tourists are visiting these places. 

He added that Rs 27 crore in additional funds has been allocated for improving cleanliness in these four cities.

“Tripura has submitted projects worth Rs 1,200 crore under the Urban Challenge Projects Fund. Of this, Rs 300 crore will come from the Centre, Rs 300 crore from the State, and Rs 600 crore through financial institutions. The projects will be income-generating so that the Rs 600 crore can be repaid. These projects will be sanctioned within one to two months,” he said.

Speaking about the Power Department, the Union Minister said that under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, around 2 lakh rooftop solar connections will be provided by March 2027. Vendors will also be sent from Delhi along with vendors from Tripura.

“The department is suffering losses. I have directed officials to identify all illegal connections and take action against them. We have also calculated what the power demand will be over the next three years. This year’s highest peak demand was 270 megawatts on May 21, after which the weather became stable due to rainfall. We are now prepared to generate 300 megawatts by next year,” he added.