Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday said the state government has decided to develop around 6.8 acres of land surrounding the Bharti Airtel data centre into a dedicated IT and Data Ecosystem Zone to attract investments in information technology, IT-enabled services and data infrastructure.
Speaking after the bhumi pujan ceremony for the Airtel data centre, Saha said the proposed zone would create an enabling environment for IT companies, start-ups and data centre operators. He added that the state’s IT Department has put in place a mechanism to identify talent from colleges and extend support to start-ups and entrepreneurs under the state start-up policy.
The Chief Minister said Tripura is also planning to establish its second IT park and set up an innovation laboratory with incubation facilities to support young entrepreneurs.
Highlighting the importance of data infrastructure, Saha said data centres are critical for the secure storage and access of digital information and have become indispensable in the information-driven era. He noted that the proposed Airtel facility would be among the first of its kind in the northeastern region, adding that Tripura was chosen after other states were initially considered.
He said the state has been steadily moving towards paperless governance, from the Cabinet and government departments to districts, sub-divisions and the three-tier panchayat system, leading to a growing demand for secure data storage and protection.
Saha pointed out that banks, private institutions, e-commerce platforms, social media companies and cloud service providers require reliable local data infrastructure supported by uninterrupted power supply and robust cyber security systems.
Emphasising employment potential, the Chief Minister said the development of the IT sector would create job opportunities within the state and help reduce the outward migration of youth. He added that with the transition towards artificial intelligence and machine learning, indigenous data infrastructure is vital for ensuring data security and digital sovereignty.
Outlining existing capacity, Saha said Tripura currently has three data centres: the NIC Data Centre established in 2019 with around 500 TB storage, the NIXI CSC Centre set up in 2014 with approximately 800 TB capacity, and a state government data centre with 80 servers and 500 TB storage, which are insufficient to meet rising demand.
He said the Airtel data centre will feature a dedicated G+3 building, 5 MW power capacity and advanced multi-layer security systems. The project is expected to generate employment and attract ancillary businesses, while other investors have also shown interest in setting up data centres in the state, officials said.