AGARTALA, Oct 4 (TIWN): Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Sunday announced that work on satellite township projects in Agartala, Udaipur and Dharmanagar has started, with locations for the proposed townships already identified.

Saha made the announcement while inaugurating the newly constructed RCC (G+1) Ward Office Building of Ward No. 43 of Agartala Municipal Corporation at Pratapgarh.

Speaking at the program, Saha also strongly criticized the opposition over its record in government.

“What has the opposition done when they were in power for so long? They had only one goal – to win the elections and to make people to walk on road, raising their party slogans,” the Chief Minister said.

The Chief Minister said the satellite townships are part of the government's broader plan to manage growing urbanization and develop modern urban centers outside the existing city cores. The state's 2025–26 Budget had already outlined a plan to establish three satellite towns near Agartala, Udaipur and Dharmanagar to support planned urban expansion.

What is a satellite township?

A satellite township is a planned urban settlement developed near a major city but outside its congested core. It is designed to provide housing, roads, water supply, drainage, sewage systems, electricity, commercial facilities, public services, parks and other urban infrastructure in a planned manner.

The basic objective is to reduce pressure on the main city by creating new residential and economic centers nearby. Instead of allowing unplanned expansion around an existing city, authorities can develop a satellite township according to a master plan, with designated residential, commercial, industrial and recreational areas.

For Tripura, the proposed townships are particularly significant as the government has linked the scheme to the state's rapidly expanding urban areas. The Budget document specifically states that the satellite township scheme is intended to address “exploding urbanization” in a planned manner.

Three locations identified

The three proposed locations are connected to the state's major urban centers:

• Agartala: The township is intended to provide an additional planned urban area around the capital and help address congestion and pressure on existing infrastructure.

• Udaipur: The township could support residential and commercial growth around the Gomati district headquarters and its surrounding areas.

• Dharmanagar: Officials have already conducted a feasibility assessment at the Tongibari–Kameswar Mouja area. District administration officials inspected land, connectivity and development potential there in May 2026.

Earlier, the government had also said that land for the three projects had been identified and that development work was expected to begin.

Part of wider urban development plan

The satellite township initiative is being pursued alongside other urban infrastructure projects in Tripura. The government has also been working on projects involving roads, drainage, water supply, sewage systems and urban infrastructure, including projects supported by the Asian Development Bank.

In 2025, Saha had said that the government was implementing satellite township projects in the three cities and that budgetary allocations had been made for the initiative.

The latest announcement indicates that the government is now moving from planning and site identification toward implementation.