Agartala export of Queen pineapples gets affected due to scanty rainfall and lockdown:

Agartala, June 11: Scanty rainfall and shortage of workers in Agartala during lockdown has left many pineapple orchards neglected. As a result, pineapple producers fear poor business this year.

Monkeys have damaged crops in large quantities in many areas that mark the international border with Bangladesh.

Farmers at a plantation in Nandannagar are deeply concerned about their harvest as most of the fruits have grown very small and that will pose challenges as they are not of the export quality.

One of the owners of the pineapple plantation at Nandannagar, Naresh Chandra Deb said that the problem was caused due to the lack of rainfall, less or no irrigation facilities and very few workers.

His brother Dulal Chandra Deb, on the other hand, said that “nobody is willing to come back to work out of the fear of the virus.” He added that they haven’t fetched any buyers yet. In normal circumstances, the orchard is a busy place. Workers play a huge role there as they provide abundant supply to the dealers.

“We had no workers available to tend the pineapple plantations during all these months of lockdown. It’s 19-20 days since harvest season started and yet our fruits haven’t even grown fully”, Naresh Chandra said.

The Deb brothers cultivate the Queen pineapple variety. They are small in size. The fruits are generally exported to Doha, Bangladesh, Dubai and other Indian states.

The small size of the Queen breed pineapples will affect the export business largely.

“We want the government to provide us with sufficient irrigation facilities, ensure procurement and marketing and set up processing factories for optimum utilization of our products”, Naresh said.

Manindra Maak, a 75-year-old plantation worker, said he has been working at the orchard for the last 40 years. According to him, there is no artificial irrigation facility available. However, with a satisfactory number of workers, the plantation can be free of weeds. In the absence of the workers, this was not possible and hence, the plants did not obtain sufficient nutrition.

Tripura cultivates 1.28 lakh MT pineapples every year approximately. It is produced across 8,800 hectares of land in various districts. Most of the plantation fields are privately owned.

Sikkim: Government announces re-opening in phases

June 9, 2020: The government of Sikkim, in an order released on Tuesday, has made multiple announcements re-opening hotels, restaurants, gyms, shops and others.

This decision comes at a time when the numbers can be seen rising in the only Indian state besides Nagaland which did not have a single positive Covid-19 positive case till a few days ago.

6 more people have tested positive as on Tuesday making the total count of Covid-19 patients 10.

The correctness of the state government can be put to question as it decides to open gyms from Wednesday, the 10th of June from 7 am to 6 pm.

Although the state Health Department has instructed to maintain only 50% occupancy at one time, the possibility of maintaining safety protocols which includes proper sanitization, social distancing norms can be a source of worry in the state.

Shops will remain open from 8 am to 6 pm and hotels and restaurants will be allowed to remain open from 8 AM to 8 PM from the same day with a 50% capacity inhouse. Unlike before, these 50 per cent of people will be allowed to sit in the restaurants and enjoy their meal, increasing the risk of spread of the virus.

Again, the state Health Department has instructed not to violate any Standard Operating Procedure.

Restrictions, however, have been put on any movement of vehicles between 9 pm to 7 am.

Inter-district movement of people and vehicles are to resume from 18th June keeping in mind the odd-even rule. The inter-state movement of goods and vehicles, on the other hand, will be allowed for all vehicles barring light transport vehicles.

Tripura Chief Minister pays visit to martyr’s family:

June 9, 2020: Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb paid homage to the family of Bijoy Debbarma, a martyr who died in the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh.

The Tripura chief minister went to the martyr’s house in Sepahijala district in Tripura on Sunday. The army man is survived by his parents, wife Asha Debbarma and son.

The Chief Minister announced a package of Rs 5 lakh from the relief fund as compensation to the family.  The chief minister further added that all government facilities would be extended to the family for their assistance so that they do not face any further challenges.

“Every effort will be made by our government to provide all the facilities available to the martyr Bijoy Debbarma’s family,” the chief minister said.

DM Sepahijala CK Jamatira, SP Sepahijala Krishnendu Chakraborty, Jampuijala BAC chairman Beerendra Kishore Debbarma, and several other higher officials paid their respects to the brave man. The Chief Minister along with these officials declared Debbarma a ‘martyr’ unanimously.

Debbarma was gravely injured in a landslide on the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh on May 22. After fighting for over a week, he passed away on June 3.

On Friday night, he was brought home in an Indian Air Force flight posthumously.

The senior Army officers, state government officials and Tripura police paid homage to the martyr at Litchu Bagan in Agartala on June 6.

The cremation rituals were performed later in Guliraibari, his native village.

The chief minister said in a tweet: “I salute and pay my respects to the heroic son of Mother India, the pride of the state, the great self-sacrifice of Bijoy Debbarma. The uncompromising heroism of this young man while serving the country will always be remembered with respect. I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family and wish him eternal peace.”

ভারত মাতার বীর সন্তান, রাজ্যের গর্ব, বিজয় দেববর্মার মহান আত্মবলিদানকে আমার সহস্র প্রণাম। দেশের সেবা করতে গিয়ে এই জওয়ানের আপোষহীন বীরত্ব, শ্রদ্ধার সঙ্গে চিরস্মরণীয় হয়ে থাকবে।

আমি তাঁর আত্মীয় পরিজনদের প্রতি সমবেদনা জ্ঞাপন করছি এবং তাঁর বিদেহী আত্মার চিরশান্তি কামনা করছি। pic.twitter.com/OtNLzX5d1K

— Biplab Kumar Deb (@BjpBiplab) June 6, 2020

Tripura: Matabari opens for devotees

June 9, 2020: After more than 75 days of restrictions on entry into temples, the one of the holiest Hindu shrines of the country, the Tripura Sundari Temple has finally opened for devotees on Monday but not without certain restrictions.

Although the temple has opened, safety protocols will be maintained and any unnecessary gatherings and violation of government guidelines will be prevented by the authorities as this might spur the spread of Covid-19.

A meeting regarding the opening of Matabari was conducted on Sunday. Gomati District Magistrate who is the Sabaite (or chief worshipper) of the temple and member secretary of “Mata Tripura Sundari Temple Trust” convened the meeting with other important officials including MLA Biplab Kumar Ghosh, and other members of the temple trust.

The temple is a state-run place of worship and attracts the most number of devotees after the Kamakhya temple in North East every year.

In the meeting, it was decided that the temple would be opened on June 8 for all. The board of trustees and higher officials along with minister Ghosh also charted several restrictions after the temple would be opened for the people.

A priest of the temple has informed, “The Puja had started at 9:30 in the morning and continued till 11:30. Many people have offered Puja today. There is not going to be any social functions such as the first rice ceremony or marriages as of now. All social programmes are kept on hold for some time.“