Agartala, Jan 28 (TIWN / IANS) The Tripura Government will hire an air ambulance to ferry officials and security personnel in emergency situations during the February 18 elections to the 60-seat Assembly, an official said here on Saturday.

"We have invited bids from reputed companies from across the country operating air ambulance services," a Transport Department official said.

An Election Department official said the Election Commission had directed authorities in election-bound Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland to keep ready air ambulances for emergencies during the Assembly polls.

The five-year terms of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura Assemblies expire on March 6, 13, and 14, respectively.

Single-phase Assembly polls will be held in Tripura on February 18, and in Nagaland and Meghalaya on February 27. Counting of votes for all three northeastern states with 60-member Assemblies each, will be done on March 3.

In Tripura, over 30,000 civil officials would be engaged in conducting the Assembly elections.

Besides, the poll panel, on the request of the state government, would deploy more than 30,000 additional central paramilitary forces before the elections. 

The central paramilitary forces, comprising the Border Security Force, the Central Industrial Security Force, and the Central Reserve Police Force have started arriving in the state in a phased manner.

"The Election Commission has also directed all three states to tighten security along the inter-state and international borders," the official added.