Tripura Accuses Centre Of Refusing Assistance For Refugees

Fire burns down huts at Bru refugee camps in Gachhirampara, 185 km from the capital, Agartala. The devastating fire completely gutted Bru refugee camp where more than 2,500 huts were reduced to ashes. Kanchanpur, Agartala, Tripura, India. 19/03/2011

Agartala, Mar 27 : The Centre has refused to provide assistance to Bru (Reang) refugees fire victims, sheltered in six camps of North Tripura for past 14 years from Western Mizoram, alleged Tripura Revenue Minister Badal Chowdhury today.

He visited the camps yesterday along with top officials to review the relief operation in the camps where 18 people were charred to death and 30 others injured due to a devastating fire on March 19 last.

Mr Chowdhury said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Tripura government had separately declared rupees one lakh exgratia to the next of kin of the deceased and distributing relief and financial assistance for making makeshift huts.

''Unfortunately, the Mizoram government did not take any initiative to help the victims except sending some warm cloths in the summer days who had been suffering due to Lalthanhawala government,'' Mr Chowdhury added.

He said the state government had asked for rupees five crore special assistance following the fire incident and demanded the Centre’s intervention for their repatriation and adequate settlement in Mizoram but Central government had not yet responded.

Sarkar Urges Centre To Intervene For Repatriation Of Brus

Agartala, Mar 23 : Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar criticised the Mizoram government for dragging its feet to repatriate the 35000 Reang/Bru refugees sheltered in six camps in North Tripura district and urged the Centre to intervene for early repatriation of the displaced persons.

"The refugees are living in the camps in deplorable situation. They should be taken back at the earliest.

The Mizoram government is dragging its feet to repatriate them, so the Centre should intervene properly to solve the 14-year old refugee problem", Sarkar told reporters last night.

Sarkar said the meeting of the council of ministers held here yesterday decided to provide Rs one lakh each to the next of kins of the people who were charred to death.

Sarkar said the party of the Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla assured the refugees before the last assembly elections of Mizoram that they would be taken back and properly rehabilitated if the party came to power.

"Now Lalthanhawla's party is at the helm of affairs and should take them back with honour and ascertain the future of the children and youths who were languishing in the camps and facing a bleak future", Sarkar said.

The Chief Minister said a judicial probe was ordered to find out the cause of the fire that devastated the camp on Saturday last.

Reang refugees migrated to Tripura from neighbouring Mizoram following ethnic clashes with Mizos since 1997.

PM Announces Ex-Gratia To Bru Refugees Burned in Refugee Camps

New Delhi, Mar 21 : Expressing grief, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday announced an ex-gratia of Rs one lakh each to the next of kin of those killed in an accidental fire that gutted a refugee camp at Naisinghpara in North Tripura district.

“The Prime Minister is grieved to learn the loss of lives in a fire incident in Tripura. The Prime Minister has approved ex-gratia assistance of Rs one lakh each to the next of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the seriously injured,” a PMO spokesperson said.

At least 15 Reang/Bru refugees from Mizoram were charred to death and eight others injured in an accidental fire on Saturday that gutted their camp at Naisinghpara.

Agartala: Chief Minister Manik Sarkar visited the Reang refugee camp on Sunday. Mr. Sarkar, accompanied by DGP Selim Ali and Social Welfare Minister Bijita Nath, interacted with the injured refugees and consoled the bereaved families.

21 Charred To Death in Tripura Refugee Camp, Tripura CM To Take Measures

Agartala, Mar 20 : Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has asked the forest officials to take steps to arrest the wild fire during the summer following sudden spread of fire in Bru (Reang) refugee camps in Kanchanpur of North Tripura which claimed 21 lives and left eight seriously injured yesterday.

Mr Sarkar left for Kanchanpur this morning and reviewed the situation with both police and civil administration while asking to create water sources in the camp areas besides, ensuring all other basic amenities for the inmates shelter in different camps since 1997 following ethnic clash in Western Mizoram.

According to a report, as many as 2500 huts were gutted that left more than 15,000 people homeless.

The administration made arrangements for the shifting the families to nearby schools and community halls last night.

The fire spread over the camps from forest fire last night.

Over 35,000 Bru had fled from Western Mizoram on October 15, 1997 night following fierce communal riots between the Brus and Lushais (Mizo) in adjoining North Tripura.

They were sheltered in six camps in Kanchanpur subdivision since then.

Several tripartite talks had failed to ensure repatriation of the Brus to their homeland as Aizwal was overtly reluctant to take them back.

14 Bru Burnt To Death At Tripura Refugee Camp

Agartala, Mar 19 : At least 14 people were Saturday burnt to death when a fire broke out at a refugee camp in north Tripura where Reang tribal migrants of Mizoram have been staying since 1997, an official said.

The fire broke out at the Naishing Para Reang refugee camp, one of the six camps set up under the Kanchanpur sub-division in north Tripura adjacent to western Mizoram.

"We have so far recovered seven bodies as the fire continues to rage in the makeshift camp, 165 km north of here," Kanchanpur sub-divisional magistrate Dilip Chakma told IANS over phone.

Several fire engines have been battling to douse the fire, whose cause was not known immediately.

Over 34,000 Reang tribals, locally called Bru, have been living in six camps in north Tripura's Kanchanpur sub-division since 1997. They fled western Mizoram after ethnic clashes with the majority Mizos following the killing of a Mizo forest official.

Turbines For Tripura Power Project Being Brought Via Bangladesh

Agartala, Mar 18 : Heavy turbines for state-owned ONGC's 726 MW power project in south Tripura are being brought to the state via Bangladesh. The turbines will be ferried from the Ashuganj river port in eastern Bangladesh to Tripura on big lorries, said an official here Friday.

The turbines will arrive next week to start generating electricity by this year-end.

'The over-dimensional heavy turbines would be carried from Ashuganj river port in Meghna river in eastern Bangladesh to Tripura on big lorries. The heavy consignments came to Ashuganj port last month by the water way from Haldia port in West Bengal,' an ONGC official told reporters.

He said India has developed a jetty in Ashuganj river port, 45 km from Agartala, and expanded the roads in Bangladesh and developed 31 bypasses across the border and inside Tripura to ferry the heavy equipments for the power project.

'The generation of electricity would start from the first unit (363 MW) of the power project, the biggest ever thermal power plant in northeast India, in December this year. The project would be fully operational by March next year,' the official said.

The state-owned ONGC's biggest power project is being commissioned in south Tripura's Palatana, about 60 km south of here, at a cost of Rs.9,000 crore.

The Bangladesh government had earlier agreed to allow India to use its waterways to transport the turbines and heavy machines for the power project, for which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had laid the foundation stone in October 2005.

The ONGC official said that carrying of the heavy equipment by surface within India through the mountainous northeastern states was extremely difficult. This led the Indian authorities to carry the machineries through Bangladesh.

'A consortium comprising of the US-based General Electric (GE) and India's state-run BHEL has been awarded contract to supply the all-important gas turbines for the thermal power project,' he added.

According to ONGC officials, the state-run Power Grid Corp of India Ltd (PGCIL), ONGC Tripura Power Co Ltd (OTPC), a new company formed for commissioning the project, and the northeastern states would set up a 660-km transmission line at a cost of Rs.1,771 crore to hook Palatana with the national grid at Bongaigaon in western Assam.

The much expected commissioning of the power project, a co-generation waste heat recovery power plant and ONGC's first major commercial project, has been delayed due to difficulties in transporting heavy turbines and machineries to south Tripura.

Indian Electricity Initiative Shines New Light on Farm Garbage

By Kurt Achin

 
A laborer works at a rice mill on the outskirts of Agartala, capital of India's northeastern state of Tripura, March 3, 2011

Agartala, Mar 14 : Some of India's most remote farming villages are beginning to see sundown in a new light, now that they are able to convert an abundant crop into electricity.

Remote regions are prime examples of what people describe as old India - parts of the country off the grid, literally, from new India and its high-tech urban centers.

Tamkuha, in the Indian state of Bihar, does not receive electricity from the country's main distribution network.  It gets by on traditional farming -  and for decades, as the sun went down, villagers turned to the dim light of candles or kerosene lamps.

But these days, thanks to an ambitious renewable energy project, life in Tamkuha no longer grinds to a halt around 6:00 p.m.  By the glow of florescent bulbs, residents have been able to extend their hours of productivity late into the night.

A woman says she used to work as a tailor only during the day.   Sewing was nearly impossible with a kerosene lamp. Now, she says she can work in her shop until very late at night.

Husk power
The source of the new electricity is something Tamkuha has in abundance: rice.

The startup company Husk Power Systems has designed a system fueled by the husk of rice plants - usually discarded after the rice grains are harvested.  When heated, rice husks release flammable gas that can be used to power electric generators.  A small plant can light up several hundred households for more than six hours at a time.

HPS Chief Operating Officer Ratnesh Yadav says the company's technology is a new spin on renewable energy. He says he started by looking at solar power and other options, but those seemed expensive.   People out here were dumping rice husks as waste - so, he looked into making use of it.  That was three and a half years ago, he says, and since then his company has set up about 60 husk power plants in India.

Husk power makes villages like Tamkuha less isolated by helping residents charge mobile phones.  The electricity is also giving the village new access to commerce and services during the night hours.

Shopkeepers can sell food and other needed items.  The village doctor, Farooq Ansari, can continue to see patients.

He says when he began his medical practice 27 years ago, he had trouble running the clinic at night.  With kerosene lamps, he had to close down everything by 7 or 7.30 in the evening.

Now, with electric lights, he says he can serve his people at the clinic until 11 at night.

Young students like Priyanka Yadav say electricity has given them a new lease on learning. She says she used to study by kerosene lamp.  It was stressful and she could not study for long.  Now she says she can study until midnight if she wants.

The husk power project is supported in part by the Indian government - which has set a target of deriving 15 percent of the country's energy from renewable sources by 2020.  But HPS Regional Manager Sanjay Chauhan says residents of Tamkuha are seeing a big change in their lives right now.

"Dream comes true"
He says villagers tell him it's like a dream come true.  They never dreamed that electricity would come to this area.  He says they are coming to understand how electricity can change their lives.

Yadav says previously young people here could never think of doing anything beyond village level farming. But now they are dreaming of becoming doctors, engineers and scientists.  The arrival of electricity, he says, is raising their ambition.

That is exactly the kind of ambition and talent new India will need as it ascends to superpower status on the world stage - nurtured by one of the most abundant by-products of old India's agriculture.

New Train Link Connects Agartala With Bangladesh Town

Dhaka, Mar 10 : The construction work on a 10-kilometre railway track directly linking southeastern Akhaura town in Bangladesh with Agartala, the capital of Indian state of Tripura, is set to begin later this year.

'Both India and Bangladesh are moving fast to establish the train connectivity,' Director General of Railway Towhidul Anwar Chowdhury told The Daily Star.

With the establishment of the new link, Tripura and part of northeast India will be connected to the Chittagong Port in Bangladesh through railway.

Communications ministry officials say the new rail link, to be constructed with Indian grant, will open up huge opportunities for both the countries, especially in trade, tourism and communications.

India will be able to transport goods through the rail link by using the seaport, while Bangladesh will gain financial benefit by charging them for using the railway and port facilities.

India has been pressing for the rail link as it will also reduce distance between Agartala and Kolkata.

However, the rail link is mainly aimed at freight services, The Daily Star said Thursday.

There is also a road link between Akhaura of Brahmanbaria and Agartala. The Dhaka-Agartala bus service, introduced in 2003, operates through this route.

It runs irregularly and hardly yields any benefit, officials said.

The two countries have already finalised alignment of the rail tracks and are now determining construction cost as well as the modus operandi of the train service.

Chowdhury said Bangladesh has endorsed an alignment that connects Gangasagar, a small train station in Akhaura, and Agartala for the new route. The route was finalised in October last year.

'Both the countries will determine the cost and modus operandi of construction of the tracks after the central government endorses the route,' said Iftekharul Islam, additional secretary of the communications ministry.

Gangasagar and Agartala, both about five kilometres from the international border, will be linked through metre gauge line. But the option for a broad gauge line will also be there.

The rail connectivity is taking place as per the agreement between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh during her visit to India in January last year.

Displaced Persons From India- Bangladesh Border Stage a Protest Rally in Agartala

Agartala, Feb 16 : Hundreds of displaced persons from the India-Bangladesh border region in northeastern state of Tripura staged a rally at Agartala, the capital of Tripura to pressurise the state government to consider and implement their demands for apt rehabilitation.

The people were displaced due to the erection of barbed wire fencing along the Indo-Bangladesh border.

Subal Bhowmick, President of Simanta Bhumi Suraksha Committee (Committee for Protection of Soil in Border), said on Monday that the state government is least bothered about the problems of the displaced families.

"We are on hunger strike for past 13 days but no one from the state government has bothered to contact us. We have always run to the government but they have ignored us and tried to divert the angle of our problem by saying that it is a central (federal) government's concern." said Bhowmik.

Due to the India-Bangladesh barbed wire fencing, 8500 families lost their land, farms, ponds including places of worship like temple, mosques.heir entire belongings have gone to the other part of the barbed fence, said Bhowmik.

Further he noted that if the government continues to ignore their problems, then their agitation would take up a much unpleasant turn.

"Several people are joining in this protest in support of this for the 19th time of our demands. I strongly believe that all those who have been affected by the displacement at the border should be rehabilitated or else our agitation would take a more adverse turn," added Bhowmik.

Earlier on February 3, the protestors had launched a hunger strike to draw the attention of the state government.

The major demands of Simanta Bhumi Suraksha Committee (Committee for Protection of Soil in Border) include publication of names of the 8,500 displaced families, fencing along zero-Point to save the Indian soil, government employment for each affected family and allotment of alternative land for them.

Tripura shares 856 km long border with Bangladesh of which 675 km had been fenced to check illegal migrants, keep an eye on Indian insurgents fleeing to Bangladesh and also to keep a vigil over illegal trade and trans-border crime.

Similar fencing is also being erected all along the 4,095-km India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram.

Tripura Appeals to Centre to Enhance Supply of PDS Goods

Agartala, Dec 17 : Taking serious note of depleting rice stock, the Tripura government has appealed to the Centre to enhance supply of PDS items to tide over the situation, officials said today.

In a letter addressed to the Union Food and Civil Supplies Minster Sharad Pawar, Tripura Food Minister Manik Dey has expressed concern over the dwindling stock of PDS goods especially rice during the past few months, they said.

Dey said the present food stock stands at an all-time low in the state godowns in spite of repeated pleas for enhancing the supply of rice.

The state is supposed to receive 40 wagons and 50 trucks of rice in a month but the Food Corporation of India fails to supply even half the requirement, the minister said in the letter.
"If the situation continues, the rice stock will be exhausted causing alarming situation in the landlocked state," he said.

Dey said Tripura which needs 23,600 metric tonnes of rice under PDS, has been struggling to build buffer stock of food stuff owing to irregular food supply.

Meanwhile, MPs Khagen Das and Bajuban Riang met the Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of FCI Siraj Hussain in Delhi last evening and demanded improvement of rice supply to Tripura.

FCI sources, however, claim there is no shortage of rice in the state''s godowns but transportation problem has come in the way of normal supply of PDS items.

Sonamura HS Emerges as First Tobacco-Free School of Tripura

Agartala, Dec 10 : Sonamura English Medium HS School, the first educational institution of Tripura, has emerged as a tobacco-free school, Education Minister Tapan Chakraborty said here today.

He said in order to achieve official status, the school authority constituted an 18-member committee following the guidelines of the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP).

The campushad already become a smoke-free zone with the initiative of the school authorities and the headmaster of the school had made it possible by his sheer commitment and motivation over the years to his fellow colleagues as well as students, Mr Chakraborty stated.
''We are proud to be associated with NTCP and our teaching

fraternity, guardians and students are committed to make the school tobacco-free,'' Assistant Head Master Shri Habul Lodh said and added the school had been following 'No Smoking' rules since 2004.

Meanwhile, NTCP officials here maintained that they were aware of the status of the particular school and they had mooted several plans to make all the schools of the state 'tobacco free'.

Tripura Capital Agartala Hosts Northeast Students National Integration Program

Agartala, Dec 9 : Over 1500 students from eight northeastern states recently took part in a three-day-long Northeastern Students National Integration Movement program.

They also participated in a peace march in the city and raised slogans against militancy.
The Holy Cross Educational Foundation of Tripura organized the event with the theme - "Together towards tomorrow for peace".

"We have been able to bring about peace in the region and spread awareness on peace in the region. We have been able to educate students on the need for peace in the society," said Joe Paul, the coordinator of NESNIM.

The event had its share of singing competitions, cultural performances and interactive workshops.

Instead of competing with each other, participants from different regions and ethnic groups dressed in their traditional attires and performed with each other showcasing integration and amalgamation of different cultures at its best.

Hundreds of students took out a candle rally and took an oath to promote their cause.
"Through my experience at NESNIM, I have come to learn about how to make friends with people of other groups and communities and states that help me unite with other people," said Russna Lamint, a participant from Meghalaya.

Assamese participant Vaishali said: "It is a movement for peace and we all are from different parts of Northeast India. We have come here and are united to light the candle of peace, as we are the future of this country."

Integration programs like these will definitely help build better understanding among the youth of the region and will go a long way in giving a fillip to the development and prosperity of the region.

Tripura Overjoyed With Somdev

Agartala, Nov 24 : Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar today congratulated Somdev Devvarman for winning gold medal for India in the Asian Games, while Somdev's father Prava Ranjan Deb Barman narrated how tense he was when the match was in progress.

In a message, the Chief Minister said, "Somdev made our country as well as the state proud by winning gold in both the doubles and in singles in Asiad. The people of Tripura are looking forward for his visit to the state."

Somdev's father, a resident of Agartala said, "I was tense while following his performance on the television, wondering if he would be able to fetch the yellow metal. I was beyond myself when he finally made it."

Secretary of Tripura Tennis Association, Sujit Roy said his organisation would give India's tennis sensation a hero's welcome when he returned home.

Now, Schools in Tripura to Charge Only Exam Fee

Agartala, Nov 1 : The Tripura government has asked all school authorities in the northeastern state not to charge students  any payment except the examination fee, officials said here Sunday.

"No government, semi-government and government aided schools up to 12th standard are to be allowed to take any kind of fee except the examination charge from the students," an education department official told reporters.

According to the official, a large number of schools have been charging various kinds of fees from the students. These include development fee, library fee, annual cultural and sports fee, computer fee and magazine fee, among others.

This decision will benefit over 812,000 students of 4,400 schools. Since 1978, education in Tripura up to Class 12 has been free.

The examination fee ranges from Rs.20 to Rs.100.

7500 Crimes Against Women Recorded in 10 Months in Tripura

Agartala, Oct 25 : As many as 7500 cases related to crime against women have been registered in Tripura over the past 10 months, an official report revealed today.

Referring to police records, Leader of the opposition Ratan Lal Nath stated that more than five hundred cases, including rape, dowry death and other atrocities on women, had been recorded in women's police stations of Agartala alone.

''Tripura has been placed second in the national list of crime against women in 2008, but if the current trend continues, this year the state would become the topper,'' Mr Nath rued.

Meanwhile, the Left-backed Democratic Women's Samiti has begun a week-long mass demonstration outside police stations today demanding stringent action against the criminals and proactive role to contain crime against women.

Cow is God: Tripura Tribals Dont Milk Cattle

By Sujit Chakraborty

Bagmara (South Tripura), Oct 25 : Tribals of the dirt-poor village of Bagmara in Tripura have been holding on to their age-old custom that forbids consumption of cow milk, though nearly each household has at least one milch cow.

“We consider the cows as god; hence we stay away from any act of milking the milch cow,” Bagmara village chief Ranjit Tripura told IANS. The village is located 170 km south of state capital Agartala.

“We also believe that depriving the calf of mother’s milk is a sin and gods will not exonerate the sinner,” the nonagenarian tribal headman said.

Home to 356 families, consisting of around 2,000 men, women and children, the Bagmara tribal village, under the Rupaichari block in southern Tripura, has been ravaged by militancy for years.

The Tripura government has undertaken several schemes to develop this village sandwiched between two hills.

“To remove this age-old unscientific myth, the state administration has taken plans to train the tribals in modern methods of animal husbandry and to improve their economic condition,” state information department official Manoranjan Das said.

“A training camp on act of milking and care for milch cows was held last week, and more such programmes would be held in the near future,” he added.

About 300 families are dependent on traditional ‘jhum’ cultivation (slash and burn method of farming) and 342 families are living below poverty line (BPL).

To improve the condition of the people of 26 villages, including Bagmara, the state’s rural development department has constituted 441 self-help groups (SHG) and 72 more would be formed later.

“Despite grinding poverty, we have full faith in our gods and customs,” the headman said. “We are a tough group; you will not find a single inch of land in and around our village not utilised,” he said.

With tribals forming one third of the mountainous state’s total population of 3.8 million, Tripura has a rich cultural heritage of 19 tribes, mostly Hindu.

The Tripuris constitute the largest portion of the tribal community, representing more than 50 percent of the total tribal population of the state.

South Tripura’s district Magistrate Samarjit Bhowmik admitted his ignorance about the tribals not consuming cow milk. “I would definitely inquire about it and carry out some awareness campaign.”

“However, a large number of tribals in northeastern India still stick to their traditions and customs,” he said, adding that some people among the Chakma tribes never bring their pregnant womenfolk to the hospital, and follow their traditional process of using medicinal plants.

Tribal intellectual and renowned poet-writer Ratul Debbarman said: “It is interesting to note that although the religion of the majority of tribal people is termed as Hinduism, it is in fact a curious mix of Hinduism and animism.”

“The old gods have not yet been ousted and priests worship them alongside Hindu gods. The tribals worship elements such as water, fire, forests, and earth, each having its own god,” said Debbarman.

“A trace of their old faith is to be found in their practice of striking a bamboo in the ground during religious festivals and worshipping it. Sacrifice is an essential part of their religion,” he said.

Tripura Minister's Email Hacked

Agartala, Oct 20 : The e-mail account of Tripura minister for Industries and Commerce Jitendra Chowdhury was hacked and emails sent to contacts that he was in Cyprus and required a loan of USD 2000.

All contacts in the address book, including many in the top echeleons of the ministry and bureaucracy received the email from jchaudhury58@hotmail.com saying "I am out of the country in Cyprus. I need a loan of $ 2000 and I will explain the matter and refund the money back to you immediately after I get back on Friday."

Chowdhury said today that he was on a short visit to New Delhi recently, but was very much in the country when his hotmail account was hacked and he began receiving telephone calls from his contacts about the email.

Chowdhury said he had contacted the New Delhi-based Cyber Crime Cell yesterday and also referred the case to the state director general of police.

90 Corrupt Govt Officials Suspended in Tripura

Agartala, Oct 14 : A total of 90 Tripura government officials have been suspended since last year for corruption, a minister told reporters here Wednesday.

"Around 90 government officials, including four block development officers (BDOs) and 13 middle ranking bureaucrats, were placed under suspension for financial misdeeds," said Tripura Rural Development Minister Jitendra Choudhury.

The suspended officials included 70 panchayat secretaries posted in the rural areas across Tripura.

"For achieving the desired goal in implementation of central and state government schemes, the government has engaged all principal secretaries and commissioners in monitoring works at grass root levels," the minister said.

"Departmental vigilance and audits are also being further strengthen to deal with corruption," Choudhury added.

Tripura Celebrates as Somdev Scripts History

Agartala, Oct 11 : Tripura was in celebratory mode on Monday, a day after Somdev Devvarman's gold scripted history at the Commonwealth Games (CWG). The tennis sensation, who belongs to the state's erstwhile royal family, is being hailed as a shining star of the northeast.

Crackers were burst, boxes of sweets passed around and congratulatory messages flooded the home of Somdev's parents in Agartala. Residents cheered the 25-year-old's achievement - he has become the first Indian to win a gold in men's singles tennis at the Games, which made its debut in Delhi.

"We would felicitate both Somdev and gymnast Dipa Karmakar very soon," Tripura Sports Council secretary Kamal Saha told IANS.

It was also Somdev's first gold at the CWG.

His father Pravanjan Devvarman, a retired income tax commissioner, said: "We are very proud of him. He put up a very good show. Not only Tripura, but the entire nation is proud of his success."

"Somdev gave his career's finest presentation in the contest and we expect him to play some good tennis in future too," Pravanjan told IANS in Agartala just after talking to his son on the phone.

Somdev won the gold in tennis by outclassing Australia's Greg Jones 6-4, 6-2 in the men's singles competition on Sunday. He left New Delhi on Monday for Uzbekistan to take part in the Tashkent Open tennis tournament.

Somdev's relatives termed his victory as "historic" for Indian tennis. "We are proud of him and we are certain he will do better in the coming days," said Dayamay Debbarman, Somdev's uncle.

The tennis star is expected to visit his home in Agartala soon and will be given a reception by Tripura government and the Tripura Tennis Association.

"Somdev's success proves beyond doubt that there is no dearth of talent in the northeast and that all these bright youngsters need a platform or an opening to prove their capability and ability," Tripura Sports Council secretary Kamal Saha said.

"With Somdev's performance, now the world will know better about the northeast, where despite no scope for developing tennis, there are capable players," he said.

Somdev belongs to Tripura's erstwhile royal family. He is the grandson of Tripura's late royal scion Bikramendra Kishore Debbarman, popularly known as Bidurkarta.

Tripura Tennis Association secretary Sujit Roy said: "Somdev's father Pravanjan, a recipient of 'College Blue' in 1967-68, excelled in table tennis and cricket during his student life."

"We are really thrilled by Somdev's performance and energy. This boy will earn much credit for India in future in the field of sports," Roy said.

According to Roy, after Somdev's series of success during the past few years, the Tennis Federation of India (TFI) decided to develop a tennis court in Agartala for him at a cost of Rs.200,000.

The Tripura Tennis Association has requested the state government to provide land for the proposed tennis court.

Another Tripura player, Dipa Karmakar, finished a distant seventh in the single's event in a gymnastics event with a score of 12.687.

Somdev wins CWG Gold in tennis

India inched closer to history even as Somdev made history himself at the CWG late on Sunday. Somdev Devvarman won the singles Gold to make it his first big international gold medal.

Somdev Devvarman has been Indian men's tennis hope for sometime now as far as singles is concerned and on Sunday he showed once again why he is the great prospect going forward. In front of a packed crowd in Delhi, Somdev thrashed Greg Jones of Australia 6-4, 6-2 in the final.
Starting off a little nervous, Somdev accelerated just when it was needed to break the serve of Jones in the 7th game of the first set to go ahead 4-3. He then held his serve for the remainder of the first set to finish it off 6-4.
The win in the first set bolstered the confidence of the India number one, who wasted no time in racing to a 5-0 lead in the second set. His serve was then broken in the 6th game but Somdev regained composure to finish it off in the 8th game to win the set 6-2 and the match 6-4, 6-2.

'His court coverage as good as Nadal'
Somdev was ecstatic after his historic feat. He was thrilled to see the crowd assemble in large numbers to support him. "I am really really happy and thank the crowd for the support they have extended right through the past week."

Somdev added the key to his victory was the way he attacked his opponent's serve. "I took chances ion Greg's second serve. I got some good returns going and that is why I could get such a good result."
Somdev now sets his sights on t
he upcoming Asian Games in China where he should be a good medal prospect for India. He got a great compliment when Greg had compared his court movement to that of Rafael Nadal. "That is amazing. If I am being compared to someone like Nadal, it feels great."

Source: India Syndicate , IANS

CNG Buses to Make Agartala a Green City

Agartala, Oct 7 : After 22 years, the Tripura government will bring back town bus services in capital Agartala by introducing 75 buses that run on compressed natural gas (CNG) to make it a "green city", an official said here Wednesday.

The Tripura government has recently constituted the Tripura Urban Transport Company (TUTC) to run the public buses, provided by the central government under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The new fleet of buses would start plying from Friday.

"Over 60 percent of autorickshaws, a large number of small cars and buses are now using CNG in Agartala, the fourth city in India after New Delhi, Mumbai and Lucknow running CNG vehicles on a large scale," state Transport Minister Manik Dey said.

"With the gradual conversion of all public, private and government vehicles into CNG mode, the Tripura government wants to make the capital city Agartala Indias first green city, Dey told reporters adding that several other measures are on the cards to achieve the purpose.

The town bus services in Agartala had been withdrawn in 1988, inconveniencing commuters of the city that has a population of half a million.

The introduction of 75 passenger buses, some of them air-conditioned, would be a special bonanza for the city dwellers and puja revellers before the ensuing Durga Puja festival, Dey added.

The Supreme Court had forced the authority to make the national capital (New Delhi) a pollution free city by introducing CNG-run vehicles, but in Tripura we are on our own initiative doing this significant task, the minister said.