Thaindian News

Agartala, Dec 1 (IANS) Unlike previous elections, environment protection and heritage conservation have found places in the main political parties’ pledges for the Dec 11 civic polls in Tripura.

The ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Front and the main opposition Congress through their electoral manifestos have pledged they would give top priority to environment protection and preservation of century-old heritage sites and buildings.

“In the name of development and widening of roads, thousands of big and century-old trees have been wiped out by the Left Front government, the Agartala Municipal Council and 15 Nagar Panchayats (urban councils) across the state,” state Congress president Surajit Datta said here Wednesday.

“If the Congress is voted to power in the 140-year-old AMC (Agartala Municipal Council), urgent steps would be taken to protect the centuries old monuments, royal palaces, tombs, royal ponds, memorial and shrines,” Datta told reporters after releasing the party’s poll manifesto.

Left Front controlled Agartala Municipal Council also announced it would plant 10,000 trees during the next three years in Agartala.

“The AMC has already started planting 3,000 trees of numerous varities during the current financial year,” council chairman Sankar Das said.

The ruling Left Front also released its poll pledges earlier this week - promising to protect the environment of Agartala and to make the city a “first green capital city in India” with the introduction of solar energy on a large scale basis.

The civic polls in Tripura, with half of the total seats reserved for women, would be held Dec 11. As many as 533 candidates, including 279 women, are contesting for the 35-seat AMC and 15 Nagar Panchayats (urban councils) across the state.