Tripura, August 24: The long-pending promise to establish a medical college in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) area is now taking shape, Chief Minister Prof. (Dr.) Manik Saha said on Monday while laying the foundation stone of the upcoming H.P. Ghosh Memorial Medical College at Lalchhari in Ambassa.
The Chief Minister also participated in the bhumi pujan ceremony for the proposed 100-bed medical college, which will be established by the H.P. Ghosh Memorial Foundation on 20 acres of land.
Addressing the gathering, Saha said the initiative would strengthen healthcare infrastructure in Dhalai district and create new opportunities for local people. He thanked Bandhan Group Chairman and H.P. Ghosh Memorial Foundation head Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, who hails from Tripura, for taking the initiative to establish the institution.
The Chief Minister said the state government has undertaken several measures to improve healthcare facilities at Dhalai District Hospital and added that another medical college is also planned there.
According to Saha, the new medical college is expected to have a significant impact on the local socio-economic landscape. Around 5,000 people could get employment opportunities, directly or indirectly, through the institution. The foundation also plans to establish a paramedical college at the site in the future.
Saha said the state government is working to decentralise facilities and bring essential services closer to people across Tripura. He highlighted the proposed Ayurvedic College at Tepania in Udaipur subdivision as another step in this direction.
Speaking about the state’s overall development, the Chief Minister said Tripura has secured the second position among the northeastern states in terms of GSDP and per capita income, while NITI Aayog has categorised the state as a “front runner state.”
He also referred to the recently held Business Conclave in Agartala, where nearly 1,200 entrepreneurs from Tripura and outside the state participated. Several entrepreneurs, he said, expressed interest in establishing industries in Tripura.
Saha further announced that a Health University would be established by bringing together health institutions in the state. He urged local residents to extend cooperation for the successful establishment of the medical college and called upon people to work together towards building “Ek Tripura Shrestha Tripura” and “Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat.”
The foundation stone-laying ceremony was attended by Dhalai Zila Parishad Sabhadhipati Sushmita Das, MLAs Manoj Kanti Deb, Shambhulal Chakma, Swapna Das Paul and Chittaranjan Debbarma, Health Secretary Kiran Gitte, Dhalai District Magistrate Vivek H.B. and H.P. Memorial Foundation Director Nilima Ghosh.
Chandra Shekhar Ghosh delivered the welcome address.
Later, Chief Minister Saha inaugurated a café at the Dhalai DM office complex, which will be operated by the Tripura Rural Livelihood Mission (TRLM). He subsequently attended a review meeting at the DM office conference hall to assess various developmental works in Dhalai district. Public representatives and senior officials of the district administration were also present at the meeting.
