Agartala, 27th August 2026 : ‘Tripura’s ambitious tourism infrastructure expansion, involving investments of nearly ₹487 crore, is facing key challenges related to funding and forest clearances, Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury informed the Assembly.
Replying to questions during the ongoing session, Chowdhury said the state has completed 12 small and medium-scale tourism destination projects during the past three years at a combined cost of ₹87.87 crore. At the same time, five major tourism projects involving an investment of more than ₹400 crore are under implementation.
The Minister said the major projects include a ₹72-crore resort at Unakoti, a ₹60-crore tourism development initiative at Chhabimura, a ₹105-crore project at Jirania and a project costing around ₹100 crore at Matabari under the Swadesh Darshan scheme. These projects are expected to be completed within the coming year.
The issue of expanding tourism infrastructure in areas under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) also came up during the discussion.
TMP MLA Ranjit Debbarma sought details of tourism projects being implemented in ADC areas and asked whether responsibility for developing such infrastructure could be entrusted to the ADC.
Chowdhury said four of the completed small and medium-scale destinations are located in ADC areas. These include the Surma Chhara destination project in Kamalpur, Abahang Chhara in Santirbazar and wayside amenities at Narikel Kunja in Gandachhara.
However, the Minister pointed to forest clearance as a significant impediment to tourism development. Since around two-thirds of Tripura’s land is covered by reserved forests, several proposed projects cannot proceed without obtaining necessary clearance from the Forest Department.
He said the Tourism Department largely depends on Central Government schemes and funding agencies, including Swadesh Darshan, DoNER and the North Eastern Council, as the state does not provide dedicated funds for large-scale tourism infrastructure.
BJP MLA Tafajjal Hossain separately urged the government to develop the large water body adjoining Chhabimura as a tourism attraction. He said integrating it into the existing tourism circuit could increase visitor footfall and create economic opportunities for people of Boxanagar.
Debbarma also raised the possibility of using the Forest Department’s land bank for tourism infrastructure. Chowdhury said he would consult the department and examine the proposal for future development.
