Agartala Apr 25 PTI A minor girl and her 21-year-old boyfriend died consuming poison on being summoned to a police station in Tripuras Gomati district an officer stated on MondayThe duo was summoned last Friday in the wake of a complaint lodged by the 17-year-old girls father he saidAnanda Chakma a resident of South Tripuras Sabroom subdivision was in a relationship with the girl from Dhalai district for quite some time the officer saidThey eloped recently following which the girls father filed a complaint at Gandacherra police station in Dhalai district alleging that her daughter had been kidnappedActing on the complaint police carried out searches and located the couple in Kaptali around 30 km from Silacherra police station in Gomati districtAccordingly the couple and their parents were summoned on Friday Officer in Charge OC of Silacherra police station Srikanta Rudrapaul told PTI on MondayAnticipating trouble the duo had consumed poison They threw up inside the police station he saidBoth were immediately rushed to hospitals The girl died on Sunday night at Gomati district hospital while the boy breathed his last at GBP hospital Agartala on Monday No case has been registered in connection with the tragic incident he added PTI PS RMS RMS

Agartala Mar 30 PTI Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Wednesday said increase in fish and consumption in the state was an indication that peoples income has risenFish consumption in Tripura has increased to 2553 per cent in 2020-21 financial year from 2496 per cent in 2017-18Currently the state consumes 92500 MT fish annuallyThe per capita fish consumption stands at 25 kg against the national average of 18 kgAround 23 per cent of total consumption is sourced from outside the state Fish consumption is growing in the state which means income of the people has increased and poverty is on the decline he said at programme organised by the fisheries department hereFisheries minister Mevar Kumar Jamatia was present at the eventDeb said his government has been working for the welfare of fish farmersIn Tripura a survey was carried out to find out the number of fish farmers and dry fish traders At present the state has as many as 7482 fish farmers and dry fish traders The government has plans to provide loan to 3000 of them in the next three years he saidThe CM also lashed out at the previous regime for doing nothing to develop pisciculture in the state and people engaged with the sectorIna dig at the erstwhile CPIM regime he asserting that jindabad and murdabad slogans will not increase fish production in the state only scientific practices would boost the sector PTI PS RMS RMS

Agartala Mar 30 PTI The forest department in Tripura has moved a proposal before the state government for erecting solar-powered electric fences around some villages in Khowai districts Teliamura subdivision where several instances of elephant attacks in the recent past left at least one man dead and many others injured a senior official saidAtharamura hill spanning parts of Khowai and Dhalai districts is home to at least 18 elephants according to the census carried out by the department in 2020-21The ONGC is engaged in laying a gas pipeline in Atharamura hill which has been identified as a natural elephant corridor The project will disturb elephants living in the corridor and they may stray into nearby villages more oftenWe have submitted a proposal to the state government for erecting solar fences covering an area of 20 km to keep the elephants away from human habitats the forest department official saidIf approved by the state government the matter will then be taken up with ONGC and funds for sanctioning the fencing project will be sought from the oil and gas majorThe solar-powered barrier once set up will give a non-lethal shock to the elephants if they come in contact with it the official said adding that the cost of erecting fences across 1 km stood around Rs 20 lakhIn Assam the solar powered fence has turned out to be a beneficial tool to prevent man-animal conflict in Rani Forest Reserve near Guwahati he statedNoting that elephants consume salt water in large volumes during summers the senior official said that measures are being taken to ensure that the pachyderms do not venture out of their habitat in search of itSix salt lakes have already been created in core areas Twelve more will be coming up soon in the hill Elephants often raid villages in search of salt he explainedIn some areas the department plans to dig trenches because pachyderms cant bypass such obstacles to reach human habitation he saidVillage-level volunteers have been deployed to create awareness about the conflicts among locals and alert them when an attack is imminent the forest official added PTI PS RMS RMS

Agartala Mar 30 PTI The Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee TPCC will stage a twelve-hour sit-in here on April 7 as part of the partys countrywide campaign against price rise of petrol and other commoditiesSenior Congress leaders have held a meeting chaired by All India Congress Committee secretary Zsarita Laitphlang to chalk out the strategy for the sit-in the partys state president Birajit Sinha said on WednesdayThe government has turned a blind eye to the problems faced by common people due to the spiralling price rise of commodities The COVID-19 pandemic has already adversely affected the lives of many marginalised people The price hike will make their lives even more miserable he maintainedSinha said that thousands of party leaders workers and supporters will join the Congresss Mehngaimukta Bharat Abhiyaan to register their protestThe TPCC president further stated that the party was working on an organisational revamping programme with an eye on next years assembly pollsTomorrow a convention will be held at Kailashahar in Unakoti district to mobilise party leaders and workers Similar events will be organised in other districts too he added PTI PS RMS RMS

Agartala Mar 21PTI Hours after newly joined BJP leader Patal Kanya Jamatia said that Tipra Motha was a small regional party that wont survive in the long run the outfits supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma said his camp would never forge an alliance with the saffron brigade given its official standDebbarma also said that his outfit which had been demanding a separate state for the indigenous people of the state would field candidates in at least 30-35 seats in the upcoming assembly pollsElections to the 60-member House in Tripura are scheduled to be held in the first half of 2023Jamatia shortly after the merger of his party Tripura Peoples Front with the BJP had said on Sunday that Tipra Motha was a small regional outfit that wont survive for longIn a video statement that went viral on social media on Sunday evening Debbarma retorted We may be a small regional party but we are honest and not here to compromise The BJP is a big and rich party with a strong organizational base If this is the official position of the BJP there is no possibility of alliance in future Let us see who wins in the end We will answer them on the ground Arrogance leads to the downfall of the high and mighty he addedThe Tipra Motha had recently scripted a stunning performance in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council TTADC elections bagging 18 out of 28 seats The BJP managed to secure just nine seats PTI PS RMS RMS