Agartala, 05 June (HS): Union Home Minister Amit Shah was forced to cancel his scheduled visit to the revered Tripura Sundari Temple, popularly known as Matabari, on Friday due to adverse weather conditions. The visit to the historic shrine in Udaipur under Gomati district was called off after helicopter operations were deemed unsafe because of poor visibility and unfavorable weather.
According to official sources, Shah had arrived in Agartala on Thursday evening and was scheduled to visit the temple on Friday morning. However, persistent inclement weather and low visibility throughout the morning prevented the helicopter from taking off, leading to a change in the planned itinerary.
Gomati District Magistrate Rinku Lather confirmed that the Home Minister’s visit to the temple had been cancelled owing to weather-related concerns.
The Tripura Sundari Temple is one of the most revered pilgrimage sites for Hindus and is counted among the country’s 51 Shakti Peethas. The redeveloped temple complex was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 22 last year. Under the PRASAD scheme of the Ministry of Tourism, more than ₹54 crore was invested in upgrading the temple premises and related infrastructure.
Despite the cancellation of the Matabari visit, Shah’s other engagements in Tripura remain on schedule. He is set to lay the foundation stone of the proposed Pushpabanta Palace Hotel project in Agartala, which is expected to play a significant role in boosting the state’s tourism sector.
The Union Home Minister is also visiting the Lankamura Border Outpost along the India-Bangladesh border in West Tripura district. During the visit, he has reviewed border security arrangements, measures to curb infiltration and smuggling, and the overall situation in the border areas.
As part of his tour, Shah has chaired a high-level security review meeting at the headquarters of the Border Security Force Tripura Frontier in Shalbagan. The meeting was focused on surveillance along the India-Bangladesh border, the use of modern technology in border management and various security-related issues.-----------
Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash
