Agartala: Tripura’s budgetary allocation for infrastructure development has increased from around Rs 3,000 crore during the previous Left Front government to nearly Rs 8,000 crore over the past eight years, state Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy said on Tuesday.
Addressing a government function after the inauguration and foundation stone-laying of several development projects, the minister said the increase reflected the state’s focus on strengthening public infrastructure despite its limited financial resources.
“The infrastructure budget has risen from about Rs 3,000 crore to nearly Rs 8,000 crore. For a small state like Tripura, this is a significant increase,” Singha Roy said.
The minister said the state government had sanctioned Rs 43 crore for expansion of the Tripura Sundari Subdivisional Hospital and estimated that around Rs 70 crore would eventually be required to transform it into a fully equipped healthcare facility.
Recalling earlier developments, Singha Roy alleged that the previous Left Front government had considered closing the Tripura Sundari Subdivisional Hospital after the Gomati District Hospital became operational.
He said he had appealed to the then chief minister at the time to retain the hospital, considering the large number of people dependent on its services.
The finance minister also alleged that structural deficiencies in the Gomati District Hospital building, constructed during the previous regime, had affected healthcare delivery.
According to him, the state government has now approved more than Rs 100 crore for the expansion of the Gomati District Hospital, and the tendering process has already begun.
Singha Roy credited the present government with expanding healthcare infrastructure across the state, saying investments in hospitals and medical facilities formed part of a broader push to improve public services.