GUWAHATI: After gymnast Dipa Karmakar's comments that the streets in Agartala were not wide enough to accommodate a BMW car that she received as a gift, the left-front government in Tripura has
announced that it would widen the road to her house. The move might serve to silence the opposition on the issue, but it will do little to help Dipa's cause.
According to CPI (M) state unit secretary Bijan Dhar, Dipa had earlier requested the civic authorities to widen the road. "I was told the road (near Dipa’s house) will be revamped following her request to the mayor and Urban Development Minister in this regard," he said.
But Dipa had told Express that width of the road was not the only reason a BMW was too impractical for her. "There is no BMW service centre in Agartala," Dipa had said. "What am I going to do when I get
a flat tyre?"
Dhar said that he knew of at least one BMW car that was running in Agartala. "The decision to return the car was taken by the family of Dipa, her coach and their association. We respect their decision.
But as we feel proud of Dipa, she should also feel proud of Tripura."
Asked if the road near Dipa’s house is her only problem, Dhar said: "I don’t know.
We had no discussions either with her or her family."
The car had been gifted to Dipa, who had finished fourth in the Rio Olympics, by V Chamundeswaranath, who is the president of Hyderabad Badminton Association. She was handed over the keys at a function in Hyderabad by Sachin Tendulkar.