Agartala, Dec. 2: The Tripura urban development department is preparing a detailed blueprint to upgrade Agartala Municipal Council to a city corporation by expanding its areas and creating facilities.

A detailed report has already been sent to Delhi for the approval of the ministries of Union urban development and finance.

In September this year, the government had decided to upgrade 10 nagar panchayats to municipalities, create four more nagar panchayats and upgrade AMC to corporation.

While the four new nagar panchayats and 10 municipalities have been notified, the AMC’s upgrading is yet to be finalised.

“We are drawing maps of the new wards that will comprise the corporation with an estimate of population in each ward. Besides, new facilities to be provided in the corporation are also being looked into. But the work will be completed shortly so that the corporation can become functional by the end of the current financial year,” an official source in the urban development department said.

Sources indicated that the number of wards under the corporation might go up to 51 from the present 35 and the population from 4 lakh to more than 5.5 lakh.

Urban development department commissioner Kishore Ambuly told reporters that the number of buses will also be increased for Agartala City Corporation.

“We have requested the Union urban development department to sanction 100 buses under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission for better connectivity within the corporation area. We have 52 buses under this scheme and 15 more are on their way to the state,” he said.

Most of the buses procured under JNNURM are CNG-fuelled with causes minimum pollution. The urban development department is also planning to launch such buses in the 10 new municipalities.

Ambuly, however, said obtaining funds from the Centre was turning out to be a major problem because of resource constraints in Delhi. “We were supposed to be given Rs 17 crore for procuring 75 buses for Agartala City Corporation but the Union ministry for urban development agreed to sanction only Rs 15 crore, of which we have so far received Rs 10.5 crore. The rest is yet to be received.”

Ambuly said one of the 15 buses on way to Tripura would be air-conditioned.

“All the buses are being supplied by TATA company and our representatives have inspected the buses,” he added.