Agartala, July 13 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Sunday that unprecedented development has already taken place and continues under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Act East Policy’.

After laying the foundation and participating in the Bhumi Pujan of 51-Shakti Peethas Park at Banduar in southern Tripura, the Chief Minister said that the Prime Minister has given thrust on the development of tourism as the travel and tourism sector in India currently contributes 7 per cent to the country’s GDP.

The Chief Minister, accompanied by Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy and Tourism and Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury and other leaders, on Sunday, laid the foundation stone for an ambitious Rs 97.70 crore project to set up a 51-Shakti Peethas Park at Banduar in southern Tripura to boost spiritual heritage.

The CM said that with the financial assistance from the Union Tourism Ministry and Rs 179 crore loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), a large number of tourism sites in Tripura are being developed. He said that with the infrastructure development of the tourism sector, a large number of people would get direct and indirect employment opportunities.

Saha, who also holds the home portfolio, said that the state government would soon appoint 6,000 Special Executives to deploy them in various sectors, while tourist police would also be deployed in the tourism sites, facilitating the trouble-free visit of the tourists. Noting that in line with the Prime Minister’s vision to develop the infrastructure in all sectors, the Chief Minister said that since January this year, he has either inaugurated or laid foundation stones of many projects worth over Rs 771 crore.

He said: “The Prime Minister has given us a HIRA (Highway, Internet, Railways and Airways) model of development. For this, there has been tremendous progress in the state in the fields of national highways, internet, railways, and airways. Along with this, we have to take development forward by utilising our own resources.” Tripura is in the second position in GSDP and per capita income in the northeastern region, the Chief Minister stated.

Spread over 15 acres, the 51-Shakti Peethas Park would feature a digital museum, amphitheatre, sky bridge, ample vehicle parking, and one of the tallest statues of Nataraj. Tourism and Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury said that replicas of 51 Shakti Peethas would be set up in the proposed park. These 51 Shakti Peethas now exist across Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, besides different parts of India.

–IANS

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