PALATANA/UDAIPUR,November 23 (TIWN Exclusive): Receiving the confirmation from the PMO about the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit on 1st December state govt and administration have increased their activities. Today Tourism Minister Ratan Bhowmik, Director of Information & Cultural Affairs(ICA) Santanu Denbbarma, Secretary ICA Santanu Das, Assistant Director Tourism Department Mrinal Das, DM Gomati Sonal Goel, S P Gomati Sankar Debnath and SDM Udaipur Ajit Debnath visited OTPC plant to review the preparations in the build up to the PM visit. The minister and other high officials arrived Palatana at around 12.30pm and straightway went to see the place where the PM Modi's public gathering is scheduled to be held. As of now it is expected that after inaugurating the Commercial Generation from the Unit-II(363.3MW) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a crowd of 50000 inside the project area. Arrangenent will be made in colaboration with Transport Ministry and Private Transport Owners for the transportation of people coming to the OTPC plant on December 1.

The preparation so are now in war footing in Palatana and the Minister and other officials supervised the stage preparation . This time the stage is being built a new . On 2013 when the President of India Pranab Mukharjee dedicated the Unit-I to the nation on 21st June, the stage was built on the roof of the Security Building of the Plant. And this time the stage will be towards the northern side of the Security Building. The construction agency engaged in the stage preparation and beautification of the plant for Modi's visit has briefed the officials about the preparation.

The agency has already brought 2000 twins from Agartala to effect a temporary tent for the crowd. But officials have asked the agency not to build the extent right now. The first team of Special Protection Guards(SPG) will arrive in Tripura on 1st December and will immediately visit the plant. The final decision of errecting a tent for crowd gathering will be taken after the SPG visit and if the SPG team does give green signal, then only the agency will be asked to build the tent.

Stage being built for Modi's Public meeting at OTPC Palatana. TIWN Pic Nov 23

      Meanwhile during this visit a 2 hours long closed door meeting with OTPC officials . The meeting was attended by Minister Ratan Bhowmik, ICA Director Santanu Debbarma, ICA Secretary Santanu Das, OTPC MD S K Dube, OTPC GM Mukul Banerjee, DM Gomati Sonal Goel , SP Gomati Sankar Debnath and SDM Udaipur Ajit Debnath. After the meeting neither the Minister nor the nor the officials gave any statement. However, Ratan Bhowmik said that the SPG team will visit the plant in the morning of 25th November. Ahead of PM visit hundreds of workers are now busy in painting, repairing, wielding and beautification works. Attempts are beingade to give the plant a new look before the PM.

       It is to be mentioned here that the Foundation Stone of this 726.6MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine(CCGT) Thermal Power Plant- a joint venture of ONGC and Tripura Power Company(OTPC) was laid on 29th September 2005 by the then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. At that it was estimated that the total of Rs 4000 crore cost would cost for the completion of this plant. Now in 2014 the total cost has already crossed Rs 10000 crore making it the biggest of such plants in the entire NE region.