Bhubaneswar: After 21 days of indefinite dharna, the teachers’ agitation at Lower PMG in Bhubaneswar was called off on Friday. The decision was taken following a meeting of the Odisha School College Teachers and Employees Coordination Committee. Leaders of eight organizations met for over an hour and decided to suspend the agitation.
Thousands of teachers and education-sector employees had been staging round-the-clock protest for 21 days over demands including pension and retirement benefits, grant-in-aid for 194 schools, filling up of vacant posts, 7th Pay Commission benefits, grade-pay discrepancies and increase in retirement age from 60 to 62 years.
The government had requested the agitators to call off the stir. Earlier in the day, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj and Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan met the protesting teachers at Gandhi Marg and assured them that the state government would thoroughly examine and resolve their issues.
After the meeting, Minister Suraj said the committee report concerning the teachers’ agitation has already been received by the government. He said 79 reports running to about 800 pages had reached the government and a decision would be taken soon.
He asked the protesters to send a representative delegation for detailed talks with the administration. Following the assurance, the organizations agreed to suspend the agitation till the Assembly session.
