By Tripura24.in Bureau
AGARTALA | July 5, 2026: Escalating democratic protests against the state government’s recent administrative reforms, the Tripura State Committee of the All India Panchayat Parishad today organized a massive mass dharna at the foothills of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in front of the Agartala Circuit House. The demonstration targeted the cabinet’s landmark decision to impose a strict ban on private medical practices for government doctors.
The protest was spearheaded by senior lawmaker, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Leader, and State President of the Panchayat Parishad, Shri Birajit Sinha, drawing hundreds of grassroots panchayat delegates and health rights activists into the capital’s high-security zone.
Terming the Private Practice Proscription as “Illogical”
The demonstration arrives in the immediate backdrop of the state government’s major healthcare policy overhaul introduced late last month. The Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha, banned private consultations for medical officers and faculty members serving at the Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) and Govind Ballabh Pant (GBP) Hospital, offering a 20% Non-Practicing Allowance (NPA) on basic pay as compensation.
The Panchayat Parishad leadership strongly criticized the reform, labeling it an “illogical, hasty mandate” that ignores the acute shortage of senior specialists in rural sub-divisional hospitals and district health centers.
Addressing the gathering at the Gandhi statue tri-junction, CLP Leader and Parishad President Birajit Sinha warned that the policy will inadvertently disrupt the healthcare network available to marginalized rural populations.
”The state government’s sudden decision to completely ban private practices for senior government specialists is highly illogical and detached from ground realities. Our state referral units, starting from AGMC down to rural primary health centers, are already struggling under immense infrastructure and staff shortages. Shutting down private consultation channels overnight will not automatically improve government OPDs; instead, it will push thousands of critical patients from rural blocks into absolute distress when senior doctors are inaccessible after official hours. If the government is truly serious about medical transformation, they must first ensure time-bound promotions, fill hundreds of vacant medical officer posts, and upgrade rural healthcare units before imposing such restrictive codes. We demand an immediate withdrawal of this arbitrary notification,” Panchayat Parishad State President Birajit Sinha asserted during his press briefing.
Core Issues and Technical Safeguards Tabled at the Dharna
Following the extensive mass sit-in, a formal organizational delegation moved to submit a detailed memorandum to state health directorates, highlighting several key demands:
- Revocation of the Private Practice Ban: Demanding the immediate suspension of the non-practicing mandate until a comprehensive stakeholder review is conducted with medical bodies like the ATGDA.
- Decentralizing Specialist Allocations: Prioritizing the permanent deployment of senior consultants and diagnostic equipment to sub-divisional hospitals to prevent heavy patient overflows at AGMC.
- Resolving Doctor-Promotional Stagnation: Addressing the long-pending demands of the state medical fraternity regarding structural career advancements and pay upgrades before altering institutional rules.
- Strengthening Rural Health Budgets: Upgrading localized primary health units under the Zilla Parishads to ensure 24/7 basic emergency care is available at the village level.
The protest concluded with Birajit Sinha stating that the Congress legislative wing and the Panchayat Parishad will raise the issue on the assembly floor if the administration seeks a path of confrontation with the state’s medical practitioners.
