Agartala, May 07: Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha on Wednesday chaired the 5th meeting of the Tripura Jal Board held at the state secretariat and emphasized the need for expanding access to clean drinking water across the state.

In the meeting, the Chief Minister stated that while the state government has undertaken multiple projects to ensure purified drinking water for the public, urgent attention must be paid to areas still facing water supply issues. He stressed the need to install new pipelines where old infrastructure is failing.

Dr. Saha directed the Jal Board to explore new locations for the installation of Iron Removal Plants to improve water quality. He also called for a clear and transparent set of guidelines for water connections in residential flats.

Highlighting quality assurance, the Chief Minister advised the board to be more vigilant in testing water before supply.

There must be a transparent and accountable system in place for drinking water connections, he said. Additionally, he stressed the importance of proper maintenance of Water ATMs installed in public spaces.

At the beginning, Tripura Jal Board’s Chief Executive Officer Vivek H.B. presented an overview of on-going projects. He gave updates on the AMRUT 2.0 initiative, the current capacity of 13 groundwater and surface water treatment plants in Agartala, and recent water quality test reports. 

He also detailed the progress in household water connections, revealing that as of March 2025, 84,378 households — 69.12% of the target — across Central, South, North, and East Agartala zones have been provided with drinking water connections.

He also shared updates on other projects under special assistance schemes and efforts for lake restoration and beautification in urban areas.

Agartala Municipal Corporation Mayor and MLA Dipak Majumder, Secretary of Drinking Water and Sanitation Abhishek Singh, Chief Engineer of Tripura Jal Board Rajib Majumder, and other senior board officials were present in the meeting.