A group of 10,323 retrenched teachers are on fast unto death for the past 32 days near Rabindra Bhavan in Agartala, Tripura. They have been demanding the restoration of their services. On Sunday, November 20, a government official confirmed that Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha will hold a meeting with the teachers' legal representatives in this regard on November 22 (Tuesday).
The meeting will be aimed at finding a possible solution to the problem, the official stated, as per a report by PTI. Earlier, the legal representatives of the agitating teachers had met CM Saha and put forward their demand for the restoration of their services. They were assured that there will be a meeting of extended form after Durga puja. "The Chief Minister is scheduled to meet the legal representatives of 10,323 teachers to discuss their issue, as promised earlier. The meeting will also be attended by Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath, Education Secretary Brijesh Pandey and myself," Law Secretary Biswajit Palit informed.
Kamal Deb, who leads the agitation on behalf of the teachers, confirmed the date of the meeting. "We are informed that the Chief Minister will hold an extended forum to discuss our problem and find an amble solution for the livelihood of 10,323 teachers," he said and added that the CM initiating a fresh bid to resolve the problem was a positive development, as per PTI.
In 2014, all 10,323 teachers were terminated on the orders of the Tripura High Court, declaring the entire recruitment process illegal and faulty, following several writ petitions. The then Manik Sarkar government had filed an SLP (Special Leave Petition) in the Supreme Court challenging the High Court's verdict. However, its appeal was quashed by the apex court in March 2017.
