Rose Valley Illegal Building Controversy: Top Floor Handed Over to Oval Projects Engineering Pvt. Ltd. in 2021
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, September 14, 2025
Fresh controversy has surfaced over the lease of the infamous Rose Valley building in Agartala, which was declared an illegal construction years ago after the Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) refused to approve its building plan. At one point, even a notice board declaring its illegality was displayed in front of the premises.
In 2021, during the regime of then Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, the state government handed over the building’s top floor to Oval Projects Engineering Pvt. Ltd., a private engineering procurement and construction (EPC) company mainly engaged with ONGC projects. Despite there being no provision for subletting or leasing out the building, Oval Projects managed to secure it on rent at a very minimal monthly premium.
The AMC issued a trade licence to Oval Projects for operating a restaurant. However, it has now emerged that the company subsequently managed to obtain a liquor licence through the West District Superintendent of Excise, allegedly in violation of existing rules. The premises were then turned into the Happiest Hour Bar, raising serious questions about the approval process.
According to reports, the building, originally seized by the state government as part of asset recovery to compensate duped investors of the ill-fated Rose Valley chit fund scam was initially repurposed for housing various government offices such as the Urban Development Department (UDD), Jal Board, Agartala Smart City Ltd., TUDA, and others. Yet, astonishingly, a portion of it was leased to a private company in direct violation of the Hon’ble Court’s orders, which had clearly directed that the seized assets should be sold, not leased, to compensate investors. According to the Court orders, the West Tripura District and session Judge Court is the custodian of the seized all the Rose Valley assets in Tripura. And how this properties handed over to the Urban Development Department ( UDD) nobody's in state administration knows. But subsequently the UD Department is believed to have played the main role in controlling the property, and it is alleged that the department leased it out to Oval Projects around four years ago. However, neither AMC nor the District Administration has clarified the approval process for the bar licence.
The matter has raised eyebrows for several reasons:
1. A property meant for government use was instead leased to a private contractor.
2. The lease was executed at a surprisingly low rate.
3. A restaurant licence was converted into a liquor licence through questionable means.
4. The government’s action contradicted the intent of court orders to liquidate assets and repay investors.
Interestingly, sources claim that the present Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha was entirely unaware of the developments, suggesting that the decision may not have been taken at the highest level of government. But the Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy was aware the disputed issues as he was approved the liquor license file as the minister incharge of the Revenue Department. The ongoing inquiry is expected to shed light on how the leasing process and licence approvals were managed.
At present, no department is willing to take responsibility for initiating the proposal to lease the illegal Rose Valley building to Oval Projects Engineering Pvt. Ltd. What remains clear is that the handling of this seized asset has become a glaring example of irregularities, mismanagement, and possible violation of both municipal and court directives, a matter that continues to cast a long shadow over the administration.
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