Agartala, Apr 06: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar today reaffirmed that Assam-Agartala NH-44, the lone highway passing through the state, would be upgraded to four-lanes by 2012.

Talking to mediapersons here, Mr Sarkar said the work for the upgradation of the 333-km long highway has already started.

He also informed that the development of airport and setting up of railway link between Agartala and elsewhere would be done shortly.

While welcoming foreign investors to the state, Mr Sarkar said the Centre had already done the survey for 185 km stretch between Dharmanagar and Agartala and appointed an agency to complete the work within two years.

''The entire work is expected to be completed by 2012 and we are was also lobbying for another NH to promote development,'' Mr Sarkar said adding that Agartala would be connected by railway in June this year. The Railway Ministry has decided to extend the railway link to Sabroom, he informed.

Mr Sarkar said Sabroom was around 70 km from Chittagong port of Bangladesh and argued that if the link between those two places could be developed properly, then Tripura would become the gateway of the entire Northeast and Southeast Asia.

Referring to the natural gas reserves of the state, he said PSUs like GAIL and ONGC were already into exploration activity here.

UNI