Govt inks $61 mn loan pact with ADB for development projects in Agartala

The central government has inked a pact with multi-lateral funding agency Asian Development Bank for USD 61 million (around Rs 454 crore) loan to fund development projects in Agartala, Tripura.

The government and Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a USD 61 million loan to improve livability, harness technology and promote new developments to accommodate the expanding population in Agartala city while building the capacity of state agencies for improved service delivery, an official release said on Monday.

The loan agreement for the Agartala City Urban Development Project was signed by Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance on behalf of the government and Takeo Konishi, Country Director of ADB's India Resident Mission.

The project is aligned to the vision of the government Smart City Mission to upgrade urban infrastructure services and will improve livability in Agartala with the provision of better road connectivity, flood resilient measures and making tourist places more attractive, Mishra said.

"Through this project, ADB will catalyse synergies with the smart city components being implemented in Agartala through an underground utility corridor with the shifting of electrical lines, incorporating elderly, women, children, and differently-abled responsive features, improving road geometry along with urban design interventions," Konishi said

The provision of asset management and sustainability strategy, capacity-building of tourism operators and livelihood improvement of street vendors and artisans will serve as a model to other assets and tourist attractions in Agartala, and other cities in Tripura, he added.

The project will build and upgrade 48 kilometres of new or existing stormwater drainage and construct 23 km of climate-resilient urban roads.

It will also fund the renovation of open spaces and create water recreation and lakeside walkways in Maharaja Bir Bikram College Lake and Ujjayanta Palace -- major tourist attractions in the city.

Developing Agartala's central and north zones as models of area-based development following the principles of the smart city mission initiative is expected to have a ripple effect on other parts of the city and nearby cities and towns by making urban areas more livable, citizen-friendly, resilient, and sustainable, the release said.