Tripura Chief Secretary urged to look into livelihood crisis in remote areas

Agartala: Tripura CPI (M) state committee secretary Jitendra Chaudhury wrote to Tripura Chief Secretary Jitendra Kumar Sinha, seeking urgent intervention to address the severe livelihood crisis affecting the state's remote and hilly regions.

In his letter, the CPI (M) leader detailed a visit he made on May 13 to several remote areas, accompanied by four other CPIM MLAs: Sailendra Chandra Nath, Ramu Das, Nayan Sarkar, and Sudip Sarkar.

The group assessed the overall livelihood conditions in these regions, particularly in the Chawmanu Block of Dhalai District.

“During our visit, we observed with serious concern that the livelihood conditions in these areas are extremely dire. Immediate intervention and remedial measures are required to provide relief to the people living in Chawmanu Block and similar distressed regions,” the letter stated.

Chaudhury, also a CPI (M) MLA, highlighted that there has been no wage employment generation under the MG-NREGA scheme for the past six months. Consequently, residents have been forced to cross the international border to gather forest-grown food to stave off hunger.

“Most drinking water sources are non-functional due to lack of maintenance or power supply. The roads are in such poor condition that they could become completely impassable during the upcoming monsoon. The overall health situation is also alarming, with sporadic malaria cases already resulting in one death. Immediate precautionary and preventive measures are necessary to prevent the spread of diseases during the monsoon season,” Chaudhury emphasized.

He further noted that similar conditions are reported from other remote hilly areas, including Dasda, Damcherra, Jampui Hills, Laljuri in North District, Ganganagar, Raishyabari, Raima Valley in Dhalai District, and several regions in Gomati and Khowai districts. Additionally, the payment of various social pensions is irregular.

“Villagers are further distressed by KYC requirements for their Job-Cards. Neither the TTAADC, the Agriculture Department, nor the Tribal Welfare Department has provided any financial support for Jhum cultivation. The Jhumias are suffering from adverse climatic conditions and extreme financial distress. Given the gravity of the situation, immediate and personal intervention from your office is essential to improve the lives of the distressed people in Tripura,” Chaudhury’s letter concluded.