Agartala, Sept 20: In a landmark move, Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha on Friday laid the foundation of Rs. 530-crore project, supported by the Asian Development Bank, for water coverage in 12 towns.

The water supply improvement project is an initiative under the Mukhyamantri Nagar Unnayan Prakalpa for ensuring clean drinking water to every urban household. This project will be implemented within three years.

The project will benefit approximately 4 lakh people from 75,000 families with free water connections in twelve towns- Khowai, Mohanpur, Ranirbazar, Bisramganj, Melaghar, Udaipur, Amarpur, Belonia, Kumarghat, Dharmanagar, Kailashahar and Ambassa.

Addressing the programme at Rajarshi Town Hall in Udaipur, the Chief Minister highlighted the successful implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission in providing free tap water connections to rural households.

He criticized the previous government for failing to address the basic needs of the people in the state. He mentioned that no initiative was taken to fulfil the basic needs of the people during the previous regime; they only blamed the Centre. But, the current state government has given special priority to meet basic needs of the people including access to clean drinking water for all. 

The Chief Minister also highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always prioritized development.

"The Prime is leading the country forward. PM Modi always says 'Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat'. And, there is a need for Shrestha State for achieving the goal. In this direction, we are also working towards building Ek Tripura, Shrestha Tripura. Tripura is also moving towards development," the Chief Minister said.

"The development of the state has been accelerated since Narendra Modi took charge as the Prime Minister. He gave us HIRA model, ensuring various benefits to the people," the Chief Minister commented.

He stressed on proper monitoring of the officials as well as public representatives to ensure proper implementation of the project.

"Approximately 4 lakh people from 75,000 families will benefit from this project. Every household will receive a drinking water connection. Additionally, a total of 18 kilometers of roads and 48 kilometers of drains will be constructed as part of this project, which will also improve transportation and drainage systems," said Dr. Saha.

Under this project, around 305 kilometers of pipelines will be laid, approximately 25 deep tubewells will be installed, and 18 iron removal plants will be set up. Additionally, four water treatment plants and 19 overhead reservoirs will be constructed.

The event saw presence of Finance minister Prananjit Singha Roy, MLA Abhishek Debroy, Urban Development Department Secretary Abhishek Singh, Gomati District Magistrate Tarit Kanti Chakma, Urban Development Department Director Rajat Pant and other dignitaries.