The Tripura government has decided to reappoint 67 retired police officers on contract to handle the proposed immigration centres in Agartala airport, and Integrated Checkposts at Nischintapur and Sabroom, Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury said on Tuesday.
The initiative to reappoint retired police officers was taken keeping in mind the shortage of CISF personnel in the MBB Airport where international flight service between Agartala and Chittagong is coming up.
Nischintapur in West district, the entry point of the rail link between Agartala and Bangladesh's Akhaura, and Sabroom ICP in South district also need security personnel to handle immigration centres.
Chowdhury said the council of ministers on Tuesday approved the proposal seeking the reappointment of 67 retired police officers for manning the proposed immigration centres.
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“The cabinet’s decision will be conveyed to the Ministry of Home Affairs for declaring immigration centre at the MBB Airport. Once the immigration centre is announced, international flight service will commence and retired police officers will be deployed to handle immigration centres on a contract basis,” he said.
The government has already earmarked Rs 15 crore as gap fund to SpiceJet for introducing flight service between Agartala and Chittagong, out of which Rs 3.76 crore has already been paid to the airline.
The gap fund is a government grant provided to airlines to bridge the gap between operational costs and expected revenue.
Chowdhury said the cabinet also cleared proposals for creation and filling up of 469 posts in health & family welfare and food & civil supplies departments.
“While 226 posts of medical officers will be created and filled in the health department, 16 super-specialist medical officers and 172 specialist medical officers will be recruited to boost the health services in the state,” he said.