Agartala, June 5 (PTI) An association of school teachers of Tripura, who recently lost their jobs, on Friday appealed to the state government to provide them relief for sustenance during the lockdown.
They were granted a one-time ex-gratia of Rs 35,000 by the government in April.
Pradip Banik, the president of the ‘All Tripura 10,323 Victimised Teachers’ Association’ told reporters that despite the humanitarian aid, they were facing “acute financial crisis” and needed fresh help.
As many as 10,323 undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate candidates were appointed teachers in government schools in phases since 2010, when the CPI(M)-led Left Front was in power.
The recruitment was challenged and the Tripura High Court in 2014 terminated their services, holding the process “faulty”.
The then Left Front government moved the Supreme Court against the order but the apex court upheld the High Court verdict in March 2017.
“Of the 10,323 teachers, many got other jobs, and at present there are 8,882 teachers whose term of employment expired on March 31.
“These teachers will get one time allowance of Rs 35,000,” Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb had said on April 1.
The chief minister mentioned that state government had filed a special petition before the Supreme Court, seeking permission to recruit the ad-hoc teachers on permanent non- teaching posts.
The teachers were declared retired after December 31, 2017, in accordance with the apex court verdict. They were, however, appointed again on an ad-hoc basis.
After the BJP-IPFT government came to power in March 2018, it again appealed to the Supreme Court, which granted them one-time final extension till March 31, 2020.
Deb had said the state government will try to resolve the problem of these teachers.
State Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath said the apex court had made it clear that they cannot be recruited in posts of teachers, so the state government made a plea to recruit them on non-teaching and non-technical posts.
“As the lockdown is on, we do not know when the apex court will open only after which the hearing on the state government’s appeal can start. So, we demand some interim relief for subsistence of the families.
“We would soon give a memorandum to the government,” Banik said.