Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Tuesday said that the state was now free of terrorism and with the implementation of several ambitious projects, tourism was flourishing.

After inaugurating and laying foundation stones of many projects for the state’s Gomati district at a function at Chandibari in Amarpur Sub-Division, the Chief Minister said that for decades Tripura was devastated by insurgency, which hit development, tourism and other sectors.

He said that after a tripartite agreement in Delhi in presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, several hundred militants from the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) surrendered to the state government in September last year.

He said that after the BJP government came to power in Tripura in 2018, all social parameters of the state improved.

“Tripura is in the second position in the northeast region in GDP after Assam. The state is in the second position in the region in per capita income after Sikkim. The huge untapped natural resources and vast environmental beauty of Tripura are a treasure, and the state government has been trying to effectively put them to use for the state,” the Chief Minister said.

Over seven lakh domestic and foreign tourists visited the state last year, he said.

Tourism and Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury said that a series of ambitious projects were being implemented, and others would be launched soon to make the state one of the major tourism destinations in the country.

“With the help and funding of the Central government several projects comprising religious and cultural heritage, adventure and eco-tourism were undertaken in different parts of the state. In just two years we will make the state a world-class tourism destination,” he said.

Chowdhury said that a world-class eco-park, modelled after Kolkata’s Nicco Park, would soon be established at Jirania in West Tripura district as part of the state's efforts to boost tourism.

He said Rs 50 crore would be invested in the proposed eco-park.

He earlier said that the state government was exploring introducing seaplane tourism to promote connectivity and tourism in the northeastern state.

He said that there were many aquatic tourism sites in Tripura and with the introduction of seaplane tourism foreign and domestic tourists would be able to visit those places.