Sepahijala district set to enter new phase of development

Tripura's Sepahijala district is set to witness a historic moment on Tuesday with inauguration and foundation stone laying of several projects by Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha.

He will inaugurate the newly-constructed building of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) office at Sonamura.

In addition, the Chief Minister will virtually inaugurate and lay foundation stones for three more construction projects across the Sonamura sub-division, as well as launch 14 newly-built government office buildings and the new school building of Shekerkot Class XII School in Bishalgarh sub-division. All virtual inaugurations will take place from the SDM office premises.

A large turnout of local residents, along with senior officials from Sepahijala district, state administration, and several public representatives, is expected at the event to be held in front of the new two-storey administrative building.

The inauguration was initially scheduled for November 28 but was postponed due to unavoidable reasons. The programme will now be held on December 9.

The existing SDM office in Sonamura was established between 1950 and 1955. For nearly four decades, multiple attempts were made to expand the administrative building to meet growing requirements, but proposals repeatedly stalled without explanation.

After the new government came to power in 2018, the project finally gained momentum. The Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for the new administrative building on January 2, 2023.

The new building houses 49 rooms across the first and second floors. Along with the SDM office, several allied government departments will operate from the new premises.

The objective is to provide faster, streamlined services to nearly 3.25 lakh residents under Melaghar Municipal Council, Sonamura Nagar Panchayat, Kathalia, Boxanagar, Mohanbhog and Nalchar Block Panchayat areas, as well as 17 village committees under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) across the Boxanagar, Nalchar, Sonamura and Dhanpur Assembly constituencies.

The building was constructed under the Rural Development Department using the state’s special fund for 2022-23, at an estimated cost of Rs. 6,64,49,423. Although the original deadline was between January 2, 2023 and January 2, 2024, construction extended beyond the scheduled period due to various reasons. However, officials noted that the contractor eventually completed the project ahead of the extended timeline.

Alongside the SDM office inauguration, the Chief Minister will also virtually inaugurate several other facilities, including ten staff quarters at Kamalnagar Primary Health Centre, the new outpatient department building of Melaghar Sub-Divisional Hospital, a 50-bed hostel for minority girls at Boxanagar, new school buildings for Nabadwip Chandra Institution in Sonamura and the English Medium School in Melaghar, and new health units and other infrastructure at Dhanpur and Boxanagar Primary Health Centres.

The Chief Minister shared a clip of the new buildings on his social media and commented that these projects would mark a milestone in the district’s growth journey.

He mentioned, in line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, these transformative projects will enhance quality of life and unlock greater opportunities for progress and prosperity in the region.