Tripura CM emphasizes on infrastructure development

Agartala, Apr 11 (UNI) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar today emphasized the need for necessary infrastructure for the growth of industry and tourism so that the state could fit well into the country's 'look-east' policy.

Laying the foundation stone for a generation next smart basic hotel, Ginger at Khejur Bagan near the Airport here, Mr Sarkar said the tiny land-locked state was poised for a rapid development with the availability of natural gas and the ONGC setting up a mega power project.

''We must improve the logistic infrastructure, including hotels, to facilitate industrial development and tourism,'' Mr Sarkar said.

He said the state should not lag behind and fully utilise the opportunities to fit well into the country's look-east policy. The chief minister had already urged the Centre to take up with Bangladesh the issues of having access to the Chittagong port and railway and road links for the growth of industry and trade.

Addressing the gathering, Mr Prabhat Pani, Chief Executive Officer, Roots Corporation Limited, a fully owned subsidy of the Indian Hotels Company Limited, said Ginger hotels would be opened in Bhubaneswar,Pune, Mysore, Thiruvananthapuram, Durgapur and Goa by the end of the current year in addition to the existing hotels at Haridwar and Bangalore.

Mr Pani said besides Agartala, work for construction of Ginger hotels would also start in Tirupur, Pondicherry, Nashik and Varanasi within the next couple of months.

''These locations had been identified after detailed studies across various parametres such as potential of the market, clusters of clientele and peak periods,'' he added.

UNI RB PL AKP1330