Agartala, 12th October 2026 : Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Monday accused the previous government of failing to bring meaningful improvements to people’s lives despite having sufficient opportunities, while announcing plans to replace schools with zero student enrolment, particularly in Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) areas, with residential educational institutions.
Addressing a programme in Unakoti district, the Chief Minister stressed that development depended on dedicated efforts and concrete achievements rather than political rhetoric. Taking a swipe at the opposition, he said the previous government had focused more on talking about development than delivering results.
“Hard work has no substitute. The previous government kept talking about work without actually doing it, and that is why its existence has now vanished,” Dr Saha said.
Without directly naming former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury, the Chief Minister claimed that the opposition’s political influence had declined considerably. Referring to the recent Village Committee elections, he said opposition parties had managed to secure barely 1.5 per cent of the votes.
He also alleged that opposition leaders, unable to establish a strong political presence in Agartala, were visiting Delhi to draw media attention and project themselves at the national level. Dr Saha maintained that the previous government had failed to take advantage of its tenure to improve people’s living conditions, leading to its present political position.
On the education front, the Chief Minister announced that the government was preparing to restructure schools with no students, particularly in remote and ADC areas, by replacing them with residential educational institutions.
He said the state had already received approval for 21 Eklavya Model Residential Schools, of which 12 had started functioning, while six more would commence operations shortly. The remaining institutions would be made operational as soon as possible, he added.
Dr Saha said the government had identified several schools where teachers continued to be posted despite the absence of students. Maintaining such institutions without enrolment was not a viable long-term arrangement, he indicated, adding that a plan was being prepared to address the issue.
“We have decided to close down such schools and replace them with residential schools. The file processing is already underway, and we will plan our future actions accordingly,” the Chief Minister said.
According to Dr Saha, the proposed initiative is aimed at strengthening educational facilities and improving access to quality schooling for children in remote and tribal areas. The move could lead to a restructuring of the existing school network in ADC areas, with greater emphasis on residential education and the effective utilisation of available resources.
