Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Saturday said that he has requested the Central government to start international flight services from Agartala’s Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) airport at the earliest.
Addressing an official function in Agartala, the Chief Minister said that development is the top priority of the BJP government. “One of the goals of our government is to work for the people, and we are continuously striving towards that. A request has already been made to the Centre to start international flights from MBB Airport to other countries,” said Saha, adding that Rs 7,000 crore was allocated for various infrastructure development projects.
He highlighted that MBB Airport is one of the most beautiful airports in the northeast, with excellent modern infrastructure.
“Several flights are currently operating with most of the important cities in the country and more would be added in the coming days. There were discussions about initially starting international flights to Chittagong in Bangladesh, but given the current situation in the neighbouring country, that plan is on hold,” he added.
Tripura Transport and Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury earlier said that it was decided that SpiceJet would operate flights on the Agartala-Chittagong route and accordingly, the Tripura government had decided to provide Rs 15 crore to the AAI.
He had said that the state government paid Rs 3.85 crore to the AAI as three months’ advance in December 2022, besides providing 25 police personnel to the Bureau of Immigration under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Currently, 13 flights operate from the MBB Airport with over 4,000 passenger footfalls daily. With a built-up area of 30,000 sq mt, the new terminal at the airport has been designed to handle both domestic and international passengers simultaneously during peak hours.
The Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport in Guwahati and the Bir Tikendrajit International Airport in Imphal currently enjoy international status in the northeastern region.
The Chief Minister said that the Tripura government is committed to infrastructure development across the state and for this, it is essential to engage with stakeholders and plan in advance for each project.
Saha also reiterated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision is that development is crucial not only for the progress of the people and the socio-economic upliftment of the society, but it would resolve many challenges.
Noting that the Prime Minister has given the state HIRA (highway, internet, railway, and airway) model, he said that about 839 km of national highway work is currently underway in Tripura, with more than half of it already completed.
Decisions have been taken for four additional highways and the improved communication system in the state now allows many people posted in remote and distant locations to commute daily, Saha said.
He said that rail services have also improved significantly, with several express train services connecting Tripura to various states in the country.
“Vande Bharat Express trains would be introduced to Tripura soon. I recently spoke to the Railway Minister (Ashwini Vaishnaw), who assured me that Tripura will receive Vande Bharat Express train services, along with inter-city train services. The Prime Minister is leading us towards progress,” he said.
