A farmer was killed and 175 injured in Tripura when a tornado, accompanied by rain and hailstorm, hit the state, destroying more than 1,000 houses, uprooting trees and disrupting communication, officials said on Tuesday.

Authorities have stepped up efforts to provide relief to those affected by the tornado that struck late on Monday. The injured comprise children, women and elderly people.

At least nine persons were killed and over 40 injured in a storm and lightning which hit different parts of Tripura and Mizoram, official sources said today. A woman and her daughter were crushed to death after a large tree fell on them during a turbulent pre-monsoon storm locally known as ‘To’ last evening in Mizoram-Tripura border Mamit district.

AGARTALA: Bird flu has been detected in a government owned poultry farm at Gandhigram, about 18 km from here. Director of Animal Resource department, Manoranjan Sarkar on Saturday said following deaths of poultry in the farm about four days ago, samples were sent to High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal which confirmed the presence of H5N1 virus in the affected birds.

Over 6,200 poultry birds and ducks were culled in Tripura after reports of a fresh outbreak of bird flu, officials said here on Thursday.

The culling was done in Lembuchara area of western Tripura. “Mopping up operations and disinfection of poultry farms, birds and ducks enclosures and cages have begun,” Tripura animal resource development department director Manoranjan Sarkar said.

Agartala: Tripura, which grows 25 varieties of bamboo, is about to make the most of this natural wealth by developing India’s first bamboo park. The idea is to help expand industries based on this produce, also known as green gold.

Industries, Commerce and Forest Minister, Jitendra Chowdhury said the bamboo park would produce hundreds of value-added items and also facilitate export of bamboo products.

Agartala: Tripura will electrify all hamlets that have less than 100 habitants by 2013 as these settlements are not covered by the central government’s rural electrification programme, a minister said here on Monday.

“The state government has asked the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited to identify those habitats soon,” Power Minister Manik Dey told reporters here.

AGARTALA: With the identification of four new HIV positive cases, the number of such cases rose to 573 in Tripura, official sources said on Monday. The first HIV positive case was reported in the state in 2001. Four fresh cases were confirmed from Khowai sub-division area in West Tripura district recently who are now under the surveillance of Integrated Counselling Treatment Centre (ICTC), Dr Dipankar Prakash Bhowmick, In-charge of ICTC said here on Monday. Of the four new cases, two are women, Bhowmick said.

AGARTALA: Three after Chief Minister Manik Sarkar laid emphasis on retrofitting of the lake palace- Neermahal, the Tourism department has sent a proposal for overall development of the 81-year old historic structure in West Tripura district.

At a high level meeting on tourism, the Chief Minister made some specific proposals to bring the past glory of country’s second lake palace back.

AGARTALA : Aiming to boost infrastructures at Srimantapur Land Customs Station (LCS) in West Tripura district, the Centre has allocated Rs. 14 crore to promote bilateral trade with neighbouring Bangladesh.

After Akhaura LCS near the capital town, this will be the second LCS which will have necessary facilities for the traders from both sides. Earlier, the Centre had sanctioned substantial funds for elevating Akhaura LCS.

A poverty-stricken Tripura village has blossomed into an exporter of flowers after the villagers adopted floriculture with the assistance from Horticulture Department and Technology Mission.