AGARTALA, Dec 10 ? The Tripura Government is contemplating to set up a medical college in the State in collaboration with the Manipal Group. Chief Minister Manik Sarkar held a detailed meeting with the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman KC Pant and Chairman of Manipal Group Dr TA Pai on the matter. The Manipal Group seemed keen to come forward in setting up of a medical college and hospital in Agartala.
?For Tripura Government it is not possible to go it alone with the medical college project. That is why we are searching for a good partner. The talks with the Manipur Group were successful, they sounded positive,? said the Chief Minister from Delhi. He, however, added that no final decision was taken in this respect. Sarkar also felt that for North-Eastern States Medical Council should also relax its condition of 500-bed hospital for establishing a medical college.
It may be mentioned here that the Tripura Government had been trying hard to pull in private groups for a medical college in the State for quite some time. But no positive response was forthcoming so far. Later, it was decided that the State Government would set up a 100-bed medical college cum hospital on its own at Haphania near Agartala, but for financial constraints the project got halted. The positive response from Manipals is a significant breakthrough in this regard.
During his stay in Delhi, the Tripura Chief Minister also met Union Forest and Environment Minister TR Balu for relaxation of forest rules in the State since the government was facing problem to set up cluster villages. The cluster village project was taken up by the Left Front government in Tripura to rehabilitate the tribal villagers who had been displaced due to militancy. The cluster villages are proposed come up in the tribals? natural habitats, most of which fell inside protected forestland. The strigent forest rules that prohibit any kind of construction or similar activities inside protected forestland deferred the State Government?s ambitious project.
The Union Minister is learnt to have told the Chief Minister to send a detailed ?one-time proposal? for de-reservation of the protected land for the cluster project. The Union Forest Ministry would consider the State proposal, assured Balu. The Chief Minister told him that State-level identification of total forestland needed for cluster villages was being done at this moment. Pending the identification of total forest areas, he requested the Union Minister to approve setting up of cluster villages based on the district-level proposals that have already been sent to Delhi.
Sarkar also sought Balu?s green signal for cutting big trees along Indo-Bangla border that passes through deep jungles and hilly terrains. These trees are a hindrance for effective border management and security vigil. The matter will be further discussed when the Director General of Union Forest Ministry would visit the State soon. The DG was also present during Chief Minister?s meeting with the Union Forest Minister.