From Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, BJP president JP Nadda to West Bengal chief minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, the big guns are circling the state to check on the preparedness.
For more than 20 years, the Left ruled Tripura. It ended in 2018 when the BJP came to power with a thumping majority. Though the chief minister had to be replaced at the end of the term of the BJP’s ‘double engine’ government, it remains to be seen whether the saffron party has made any changes on the ground for the benefit of the state.
News18 traveled to Tripura to check the development quotient of the state based on interactions with the visitors as well as the locals.
facelift airport
If You Missed Flying To Tripura Last Year, You Will Be Surprised To See The Renovation Of Maharaja Bikram Manikya Airport Inaugurated By Prime Minister Narendra Modi Last year.
News18 spoke to a group of young students waiting outside the airport to understand the changes. Anindita Sarkar, one of the students, said: “Earlier, it was just a tin structure. We are proud of our airport now. It is beautiful and the processes are also fast. It has changed everything.
Several youths News18 spoke to said that the airport is an example of the development done by the government.
Flyer Gautam Roy said: “Things have changed a lot. You go inside the airport and you will understand. This is going to give relief to the common man.
However, not everyone was impressed. Teacher Reema Pal said that major changes have taken place in the state, but the problem of unemployment remains.
road connectivity
Road connectivity has always been a problem in Tripura. While earlier there was only one Assam-Agartala road via Dharmanagar, now more roads are coming up.
News18 reached Khowai where the work on the National Highway is going on in full swing. The state has six national highways while seven more have been approved to boost connectivity. An amount of Rs 10,222 crore has been approved for making the lifeline of the state from Churaibari to Agartala.
Vikram, a local driver, told News18, “Now there are more roads, so there is more connectivity. Earlier it used to take nine hours to go to North Tripura but now things are better.
training for ease
Though the history of Tripura railway track dates back to 1964, the rail line in the state came after 40 years. In 2016, the broad gauge began rolling out in Agartala, an achievement the BJP claimed was the effect of the double engine government.
As News18 reached the packed Agartala station, Deepak Biswas – who lives in North Tripura – said: “Earlier, it used to take three days to travel. Suppose you come to Agartala from Kolkata, you have to stay one night and Then have to take the bus the next day. Things have changed now and we are grateful.”
A student named Pappi Roy said that this facility is nothing less than a miracle for the students of the state.
BJP claims credit
‘Ek Tripura, Shrestha Tripura’ has been the BJP’s calling card in the state, though the opposition claims it is a farce.
In its report card, the BJP cited key achievements of the government, some of which were: Social security pension increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 for 3.81 lakh beneficiaries; an increase in the minimum wage for construction workers; And entrepreneurs were provided with concessional loans.
In the education sector, Mission 100 of Vidyajyothi Schools launched in January 2022 to boost the quality of education has been listed in the report card; Quality enhancement schemes like Nutan Disha, inauguration of National Law University, National Forensic Science University, three new government degree colleges; and two degree colleges.
The report card mentioned drinking water pipelines for over two lakh households under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (rural), 87,217 households under PMAY (urban) and over 3.93 lakh households under the Jal Jeevan Mission of the central government. It also said that 247 km of six new national highways and four principle national highways had been upgraded to double-lane standard with paved shoulders.
Opposition told ‘tamasha’
CPM’s Tripura secretary Jiten Chowdhary told News18, “All these development projects belong to our time. They have only performed the ribbon-cutting ceremony.”
Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma criticized the BJP for talking about the airport but ignoring the needs of the tribal community. The organization has criticized the saffron party for its “aesthetic change” while people in remote areas still do not have access to running water and other facilities.
However, criticizing the opposition, Tripura BJP chief Rajeev Bhattacharya said: “It is their jealousy as they are unable to do anything in the state.”
As the countdown to the February 16 polls begins, it will be interesting to see whether the BJP’s slogan of development cuts ice with voters.
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