By TC News Desk
Agartala, 1st June 2025: Three months after the formal inauguration of a ₹6 crore two-storey farmers’ facility by the Tripura State Agriculture Department, the building remains unused, leaving local farmers in Gandachhara subdivision frustrated and questioning the effectiveness of the government’s agricultural initiatives.
The building, constructed in 2023 with the objective of supporting farmers in the agriculture-centric subdivision, was inaugurated in late February by State Agriculture Minister Ratan Lal Nath. Despite its completion and ribbon-cutting ceremony, the facility has yet to be operational or handed over to the intended beneficiaries.
According to official sources, shortly after the inauguration, the state government formed an Agri Produce Market Committee (APMC) to manage the building. However, complications arose when the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (ADC) administration also constituted a separate committee from its Kumulung headquarters to oversee the building, as the subdivision falls under ADC jurisdiction.
“The building has essentially been caught in a tussle between dual administrative bodies,” a local official said on condition of anonymity. The state government reportedly informed the ADC via letter that the facility, being a state agriculture department project, should remain under the state’s jurisdiction. The ADC, however, has not yet responded.
Farmers, who still sell their produce along roadsides exposed to the elements, are disillusioned. “We were given many promises. Now the building stands empty while we continue to struggle,” said one local farmer.
