<span style="color: #222222;">The Union Government and Asian Development Bank, ADB today signed a 61-million dollar loan to improve livability, harness technology and promote new developments to accommodate the expanding population in Agartala city while building the capacity of State agencies for improved service delivery.<br />''</span><br />''Additional Secretary in Department of Economic Affairs under Finance Ministry Rajat Kumar Mishra signed the agreement for Government of India and Country Director of ADB's India Resident Mission Takeo Konishi signed for ADB.<br />''<br />''After signing the loan agreement, Mr Mishra stated that the project is aligned to the vision of the Centre's Smart City Mission to upgrade urban infrastructure services and will improve livability in Agartala with the provision of better road connectivity, flood resilient measures and making tourist places more attractive.<br />''<br />''Mr Konishi said, through this project, ADB will catalyze synergies with the smart city components being implemented in Agartala through an underground utility corridor with the shifting of electrical lines, incorporating elderly, women, children and differently-abled responsive features, improving road geometry along with urban design interventions.<br />'' <br />''<span style="color: #222222;">The project will build and upgrade 48 kilometres of new or existing stormwater drainage and construct 23 kilometres of climate-resilient urban roads. Other interventions would include renovating open spaces and creating water recreation and lakeside walkways in the Maharaja Bir Bikram College lake and the Ujjayanta Palace which are major tourist attractions in the city.</span><br />