Union Home Minister L K Advani inaugurated the foundation stone of the new Capital Complex of the state, and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman K C Pant inaugurated the foundation stone of the new administrative building of Tripura University.
Hundreds of local people spiritedly witnessed the inauguration ceremony at Khejur Bagan area, the site of the new capital complex while hundreds of students and teachers thronged the inauguration ceremony at Surjamaninagar complex of Tripura university. Governor Siddheswar Prasad, chief minister Manik Sarkar and some of his cabinet colleagues graced both the functions held one after another. Besides leaders of several political parties and top officials of various departments and of security forces participated in these programmes.
Later in the day, a six member delegation of the Left Front presented a memorandum to L.K. Advani. The 6 point charter of demands makes a plea to the centre to once and for all do away with any demarcation between the security and integrity of the country as a whole and the security and development of a state in particular. The left front memorandum pointed out that while a whole division of army was stationed in Tripura during the 1988-93 when the state had a Congress-led coalition regime, the army strength was reduced to 3 battalions after the third left front government was installed in 1993. After the fourth left front govt came to office the army has been totally withdrawn. This despite the fact that extremist outfits have all along been aided and abetted by foreign espionage agencies. The ISI in the recent past has stepped up its activities. The ensuing elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) are also likely to witness more trouble, which the outlawed NLFT extremists'’ over ground organisation IPFT seeks to capture by hook or by crook. The left front has made a strong plea for the army to be restored to Tripura, especially as armed forces special powers act, is in force over huge areas in the state. The left front has also demanded fencing of the Indo-Bangladesh border with and adequate central funds be released for building infrastructure and generating employment in Tripura, a state which for decades has seen neglect, deprivation resulting in discontent and distrust.
The 152 acre site of the new capital complex was originally part of the army cantonment area lying useless for years. At the initiative of the third left front government, the army handed it over for fresh construction of the civil secretariat, the assembly building and high court along with residential quarters for ministers and assembly members, officers and employees. Out of the total estimated expenditure of Rs.177 crore, the centre has sanctioned Rs.50 crore for the first phase of construction, releasing Rs.10 crore for the current financial year. Tripura University that came into being in 1987, was temporarily housed in the MBB college campus. The post graduate departments of the university have gradually been shifted to Surjamaninagar since 1992, but its administrative activities are still being carried out from its temporary location. With the planning commission having granted Rs. Two and a half crore for the first phase of the construction of the new administrative building estimated to cross Rs.4 crore in total, the entire university is now expected to function from Surjamaninagr from 2003.
Delivering their address in the new capital complex foundation laying ceremony, union home minister L K Advani, planning commission deputy chairman K C Pant, governor Siddheswar Prasad, chief minister Manik Sarkar, Tripura finance minister & PWD minister Badal Chowdhury, Tribal Welfare minister Aghore Debbarma, Education minister Anil Sarkar, assembly speaker Jitendra Sarkar, gave a fervent call for drowning all dissent and distrust between the centre and the state in forging ahead for ensuring security and development of this landlocked and insurgency-ridden state. In the Tripura university ceremony speeches, planning commission deputy chairman KC Pant, governor Siddheswar Prasad, Chief minister Manik Sarkar, Tripura education minister Anil Sarkar laid stress on the immense importance of the university in building a new knowledge-based society in Tripura, a society where development will be fuelled by human resources and natural resources both abundant in this state and where sense of values, rather than brute force, will win over the misguided militants.
Later, a delegation of the ADC also presented a 11 point memorandum to Advani. These include further empowerment of the ADC, direct grant from the planning commission to the ADC and introduction of Inner Permit in the ADC areas. Tripura Upajati Ganamukti Parishad and Ganatantrik Nari Samity also presented memorandum to Advani with the longstanding legitimate demands of the people of Tripura.
In accordance with their stated positions, the Congress, the BJP and the Trinamul Congress in their separate memorandums to Shri Advani reiterated their demand for President’s Rule in Tripura.
Incidentally, a pre-planned provocative violence was unleashed in the Jirania area, West Tripura, not very far from Agartala, with a view to trigger ethnic tension in Tripura, on the day prior to the arrival of L K Avani in Agartala.