Agartala, July 4: The Tripura cabinet last month agreed to upgrade the pay and allowances of state's two lakh employees and pensioners but the non-committal comments of finance minister Bhanulal Saha has cast a shadow of doubts over the expected upgrade.

After being convinced of the comfortable fund position by senior officials in a cabinet meeting chief minister Manik Sarkar had agreed to hike the pay of employees and pensioners on a par with the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission, implemented recently.

But Saha last night evaded replies on the issue. "We have a serious funds crunch. In 2015-2016, the state government received Rs 500 crore less than its due from the Centre while in the current financial year, the state's receipt will be Rs 1,156 crore less than what has been announced in the budget," said Saha.

"So far, we have tried to clear the dues of employees in accordance with the resource position of the state government and the effort will continue but we are in no position to make a definitive statement on the issue at this moment," he said.

Saha added that implementation of the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission would entail an "unbearable financial burden" on the state as there are 1.1 lakh regular, 49,000 fixed-pay employees and 50,000 pensioners.

The finance minister's statement has triggered a reaction from the Opposition.

Terming Saha's statement as "blatant falsehood" Tripura PCC president Birajit Sinha said in Bengal the CPM was lashing out at the Trinamul Congress for not clearing DA of employees but here in Tripura the CPM and its ministers were indulging in falsehood to deprive the employees.

Similarly, BJP president Biplab Deb also slammed the state government and finance minister for his "false statement".

"RTI applications to the accountant general's office here have revealed how the state government has been keeping funds meant for employees and pensioners unspent year after year and refunding them," said Deb.

He said he would obtain detailed information from the AG office here and RBI on the funds position of the state government to prove how the Left Front was deliberately depriving the employees and pensioners.

"The Left Front will partially upgrade the pay, allowances and pension of employees and retired employees. But it will be done just before the 2017 Assembly polls," he added.