Agartala, June 1 (TIWN): The Tripura Progressive Grameen Congress raised objections against ongoing construction of a 7 Km ring road encircling Lake Rudrasagar in Melagarh saying the project would affect at least two thousand people residing in the vicinity.

Addressing the media at his residence in Agartala, Progressive Grameen Congress chief Subal Bhowmik said that the ring road has got no direct connection with the ongoing restoration work of the historic Neermahal. “This project is bound to have adverse effects on local residents”, Bhowmik said. He added that Chief Minister Manik Sarkar appealed parry cadres to ‘boycott’ families from the local fishermen community who participated in the agitation launched by Grameen Congress.

Subal Bhowmik alleged that the government was distorting property ownership rights by claiming the land around Lake Rudrasagar as public property. “Land rights were given to 650 families through formation of Cooperative Association way back in 1941. Around two thousand families now live in the area. Property rights were transferred to most of the families in 1960”, he said. The ex-MLA said that government didn’t assure any compensation to families affected by land acquisition to construct the ring road as well. “The state government has to be accountable to the people”, Bhowmik said.

A ring road of 7 Km length is currently under construction around the lake as a part of the Rs. 39 crore Neermahal restoration project. Sanctions were given already for around 1.7 Km. Most of the land required for the project is available with the government; talks are being held with local residents in few cases where they didn’t agree to release land for the ring road, Minister for Tourism Ratan Bhowmik said here recently.

“We are going to construct a ring road encircling the Rudrasagar, waterbody that used to make Neermahal the leisurely water abode of the Tripura monarchs. The entire project is estimated to have a financial involvement of Rs. 39 crore”, the minister had said.