Finnally, Shailesh Yadav, IAS, Leaving Tripura, Locals Question His Smart City Completion Claim and Recall His Controversial Tenure

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, August 14, 2025

Dr. Shailesh Kumar Yadav, IAS, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Agartala Smart City Limited (ASCL), has been relieved from his post to join as Deputy Secretary of the National Health Authority, Government of India, in New Delhi. He will serve there for the next four years under the National Health Mission.

The transfer order was issued today. However, just two days earlier, on August 12, Dr. Yadav, in a video message posted on ASCL’s official social media platforms, announced that all 65 projects under the Agartala Smart City Mission had been completed. He also claimed that the 5.5 km four-lane road from Lichubagan to Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport was fully finished.

Following the video message, several residents of the project areas, especially those living along the Lichubagan–Airport stretch, expressed surprise over these claims. Locals pointed out that in reality, many works are still incomplete. They alleged that in several places, footpath construction remains unfinished, drainage systems are incomplete, and a bridge is still under construction. Additionally, work on key underground utility services, including the underground electricity cable network, telephone lines, and piped gas supply, has not even started. Roadside plantation work has also not begun, and many road divider sections remain incomplete.

According to the original Smart City project plan, road widening was to be carried out alongside the development of modern footpaths, an upgraded drainage system, underground power and telecom lines, piped gas supply, and other utility services—all in a synchronized manner. While the road surface has been completed, locals say crucial infrastructure components remain largely unfinished.

Residents further complained that although bituminous surfacing has been done on the four-lane road, several stretches still lack walkable footpaths. In heavy rains, waterlogging has already been observed in multiple spots, with rainwater entering houses. They fear that once underground utility works commence in the future, the newly built road will be dug up again, causing public inconvenience and unnecessary expenditure.

Beyond the Smart City debate, people of Tripura will also remember Dr. Yadav for his controversial tenure, most notably his rough behavior at two wedding halls near Agartala North Gate during the COVID-19 pandemic. The incident drew widespread criticism after videos of him entering the venues and confronting attendees went viral. Although the Tripura High Court later relieved him of charges related to the incident, there is still an appeal pending in the Supreme Court on behalf of the victims families.

Notably, Dr. Yadav’s recent statement did not just cover the Lichubagan–Airport four-lane road; he claimed that all 65 projects under Agartala Smart City Limited had been completed, a statement now being met with skepticism from Agartala Smart City (?) residents.

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