Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha unveiled a five-foot-long bronze statue of Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Bahadur at the airport named after him. The CM criticised the erstwhile regimes of failing to give due respect to the former royals, including the last king of the State’s Manikya dynasty.
Appreciating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and vision, CM Manik said communication infrastructure in Tripura and the rest of the Northeast had significantly developed. He added the government was working hard to ensure development of both tribal and non-tribal communities and to start flights to Bangladesh from the airport at the earliest.
Constructed by Tripura Government College of Art and Craft’s artists, the statue weighs 1,200 kg and has a two-foot base and a three-foot figure.
Accentuating the changing potentiality of Tripura in hosting one of the best airports in the Northeast, the CM said now at least 30 to 32 flights operated from capital Agartala, with 4,000-plus regular passengers. It was not so in the seventies.
The Tripura Government has maintained continuous engagement with the Centre to finalise the procedures for immigration and connectivity, paving the way for the inauguration of an international airport.
“We are eager to initiate the inaugural flight to Chittagong at the earliest. Our cabinet has already approved providing the necessary gap funding. Under the leadership of PM Modi, we are actively pursuing the development of infrastructure including roads, railways, air and waterways connectivity, as well as internet connectivity,” stated the CM.
“In our childhood, this airport was known as Singerbil airport, operating as a small facility. Historically, the contributions of the former Manikya dynasty to Tripura’s development often went unrecognized. However, since our government assumed office in Delhi in 2014 and in Tripura in 2018, we’ve endeavored to honor the legacy of the erstwhile royals.”
“This airport was renamed in tribute to Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Bahadur. The inauguration of the new airport building by PM Modi prompted us to erect a statue in honour of the last reigning king. After discussions with the Union Aviation Minister and local authorities, we allocated Rs 35 lakh for the installation of this statue,” expressed the CM.
Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury highlighted the State Government’s efforts to encourage unity between tribal and non-tribal communities. He cited the renaming of the airport after Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Bahadur in 2018 as one of the initial steps in this effort.
Critiquing the previous Left Front administration, Chowdhury remarked, “The previous government resisted renaming the airport after the Maharaja. Shortly after assuming office in 2018, we honoured Maharaja Bir Bikram by renaming the airport and installing his fibre-glass statue. With the commissioning of the new airport in 2022, we recognised the necessity for a statue on its premises. This will ensure that visitors to the State learn about the last reigning king.”
“We have finalised our immigration staff list and will soon submit it to the Home Affairs Ministry. Our goal is to initiate international flight operations with Chittagong promptly. Tripura is set to become a significant player on the global stage and emerge as the best State in the Northeast across numerous sectors, including economic, social, cultural, and commercial,” he affirmed.
The Tripura Government plans to begin three flights between Chittagong in Bangladesh and Agartala in Bharat every week with a ticket fare of Rs 4,500. Although full occupancy is not expected during the initial years of operation, the government has committed to covering yearly expenditure of Rs 15 crore as viable gap funding. This funding is intended to subsidise 50 per cent of the operational cost shortfall for the first three years.
The government previously explained that the choice of Chittagong over the more frequented Dhaka was based on a survey of passenger preferences and funding requirements. However, the government also stated that flights to Dhaka and other popular destinations such as Bangkok, Singapore, and Malaysia could be introduced in the future if there is demand from passengers.
Before the current airport was conceptualised and the runway extended to accommodate passenger flights, the erstwhile Singherbil airstrip was established in 1942 during World War II by Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur. This airport bears witness to numerous flight operations during the war and played a significant role during the events of the 1971 war.
