Agartala: October 21: A major controversy has erupted in Tripura after the CEO of Agartala Smart City Limited (ASCL), Dr. Shailesh Kumar Yadav, IAS, was accused of publishing a “false, defamatory, and misleading” notice concerning a lawful survey of the MBB College Lake, an exercise ordered by the Tripura Human Rights Commission (THRC).
The Forum for Protection of Environment and Water Bodies has filed a formal complaint with the Chief Secretary of Tripura JK Sinha, demanding immediate disciplinary action against the senior bureaucrat for “gross misconduct” and an attempt to “obstruct a lawful process.”
The dispute centers on a joint survey conducted on October 18 by a team of revenue officials and members of the environmental group. The survey was mandated by the THRC Chairman through an order dated September 22, 2025, and officially constituted by the state’s Revenue Department on October 13.
According to the complaint, the survey team, which included a Deputy Collector, Revenue Inspector, and Surveyor, was carrying out its duty to investigate alleged encroachments around the MBB College Lake. The complainants, Nikhil Debnath and Jayanta Bhattacharjee, were present at the site as directed by the government memorandum.
The situation escalated later that day when ASCL, through its verified official Facebook page, published a post alleging that “some unknown persons claiming to be from Tripura Human Rights Commission forcefully entered MBB lake without taking any entry tickets.”
The now-controversial post further accused the group of being unable to produce identity cards or official orders and claimed they “verbally abused ticketing staff.” The post concluded by stating that the “trespassers” would be identified and an FIR lodged against them.
The environmental forum has strongly refuted these claims, labeling the ASCL notice as “malicious” and intended to “intimidate the complainants and the lawful authorities.” They have enclosed copies of the official government memorandum authorizing the survey as proof of its legitimacy.
“The said survey was a lawful exercise duly authorized by the Government of Tripura, carried out under the order of both the Revenue Department and the Tripura Human Rights Commission,” the complaint states. It adds that the presence of media at the site ensured “complete transparency.”
The complaint argues that Dr. Yadav’s actions amount to a “direct affront to the dignity and authority of the THRC and the Government of Tripura itself.” It has urged the Chief Secretary to initiate an inquiry into the conduct of Dr. Shailesh Kumar Yadav, direct the immediate withdrawal of the “false post” from all public platforms, and to take appropriate administrative and disciplinary action against the CEO for “misconduct, misrepresentation, and attempt to obstruct a lawful process.”
This incident has brought to the fore tensions between a citizen-led initiative backed by a statutory body and a high-profile smart city project. The state administration is now under pressure to investigate the allegations against one of its senior IAS officers and clarify the chain of command regarding the disputed lake area.
As of now, the Agartala Smart City Limited has not issued a public follow-up to its original Facebook post, and the Office of the Chief Secretary is yet to make an official statement on the complaint.
