TWF stages demonstration to protest conversion of Puspabant palace to a five-star hotel

By  Firstdespatch Desk   Dec 04, 2024

Agartala, Dec 4 (FD) The Tipra Women Federation (TWF), the women wing of the Tipra Motha on Wednesday staged a demonstration against the Tripura government’s plan to convert Pushpabant Palace into a five-star hotel.

The iconic building was built in 1917, by then Maharaja Birendra Kishore Manikya Debbarma, which was being used as the guest house of the kings and as well as the studio of the king, where he used to draw paintings.

Maharani Kanchanprava Devi, the last princess, had donated the palace to the Tripura government after it joined the Indian territory.

“We are well aware that the present government is interested to convert the iconic palace into a five star hotel and also talked with a group. This is an iconic building and we think that it should remain like this. The earlier plan was to make the palace into a museum and the President Droupadi Murmu laid the foundation stone for it, as it would preserve the heritage and culture of the Manikya dynasty”, TWF president Manihar Debbarma told reporters.

She said, if the land is required, the government can plan it and if they have not enough land then a five-star hotel can be built in Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), which constitutes two thirds of the state’s territory.

The woman leader further alleged that the Astable Ground of the erstwhile Manikya kings was converted to Swami Vivekananda Stadium during the Left Front regime, which is also not acceptable.

The TWF is the women’s wing of the Tipramotha, an ally of the ruling BJP in the state.

“We want the government to maintain the ‘status quo’ of the royal property”, she added. FD JK