AGARTALA, September 17 (TIWN): Having no farsightedness to utilize the existing resources in an optimum way, the state government is doing the task of lip Service in a well mannered way to befool the people facing financial constraints. No works, worth yielding something good, are there for the government’s ambitious Tripura Urban Employment Programme (TUEP) yet the wages of the TUEP workers have been hiked by the government. The increased wage of Rs. 155, as informed by Minister Bhanu Lal Saha, after a cabinet decision of yesterday, equals the payment of Rural Employment Guarantee Act (REGA).At the initial phase, it was declared that 50 days work would be provided to the unemployed labourers of urban area. In the Financial Year (FY) 2009-10 only 14 days of works were allotted. Singing the song of central government deprivation the government uttered a story that the TUEP project would entail 75 days of works and no funds scarcity would be there. And the song and the story enabled the ruling party top leaders to pass over the Municipal and Nagar Panchayat election.

 Incidentally, the fact here is that till today government has not provided 75 days of works (under TUEP) in any of the urban bodies. In the financial year 2011-12 an average of 23 days of works were provided in Nagar Panchayrts including Agartala. To add to that, the state budget had allocated an adequate fund for the project but inspite of budget allocation why no works were made available- the question remains unanswered by the government.

44 and 25 days of works were granted to the workers in 2012-13 and 2013-14 FY respectively. The government itself declared to give away works of 75 days and now it is in a state self contradiction though the hike in wages is purposive as the Municipal council, Nagar Panchayet and Municipal Corporations elections are to be held soon and to flatter the poor workers the government has resorted to such immoral practice. Furthermore, no resource creation is being done by TUEP though public funds are being spent, relentlessly. Cutting off grass and cleaning the garbage are seen as the prime works of TUEP workers, in the city and city outskirts.