The meeting between Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and protesting teachers, scheduled to take place here Monday, was cancelled after the agitators failed to call of the stir, officials said Sunday. Following the state government's decision, the teachers, demanding that their jobs be regularised without a pay cut, decided to observe 'Black Diwali' and intensify their protest against the Congress regime in the state.

"It was understood that the teachers would first call off their protest and only then will the meeting take place. Since they have not done so, it (meeting) was cancelled," a government official said. The teachers, under the banner of Sanjha Adhyapak Morcha (SAM), have been staging a sit-in in Patiala, the chief minister's constituency, in support of their demands since October 7. The teachers are against the state government's decision to fix their monthly salary at Rs 15,000 during probation period for regularisation of their jobs. At present, contractual teachers are getting Rs 42,300 per month.