Ludhiana: Salary delay, regular job demand sparks bus strike, people hassled

Hindustan Times

4 days ago

Passengers relying on public bus services were once again left high and dry, after contractual workers of Punjab Roadways, Punbus and PRTC brought services to a grinding halt on Thursday. It is the second strike in a week, plunging daily travel into turmoil and forcing hundreds of commuters to scramble for costly or 'unreliable' alternatives. Passengers waiting for buses at Ludhiana bus stand on Thursday. (HT Photo)
Earlier, workers had stopped bus operations on August 8 for around one and a half hours before calling off the protest after the state transport department agreed to hold talks on August 13. However, with the discussions failing to resolve issues, the strike was resumed on Thursday, protesters said.
Under the banner of Punjab Roadways, Punbus and PRTC Contractual Workers Union, employees are holding a statewide protest against the tendering of new buses under the Kilometre Scheme, delayed salaries, demand for job regularisation and scrapping of contract-based hiring.
Over 2,500 buses, including 235 from Ludhiana, of Punjab Roadways and PEPSU Road Transportation Corporation (PRTC) stayed off road across the state, the protesting employees said.
Commuters stranded
At Ludhiana bus stand, several passengers heading to different destinations were left stranded, many unaware of the strike until they reached the station. Women availing benefits of the state's free travel scheme were among the worst hit, forced to buy tickets from private operators.
Gurbaksh Kaur, 59, travelling to Jalandhar, said, 'I have been waiting since morning for a government bus. It has been over two hours. Now, I have no choice but to travel by a private bus.'
Similarly, Sonam, a 19-year-old college student travelling to Jagraon, said, 'I was not aware of the strike. I use my Aadhaar card to travel in government buses and did not carry much money. Now I don't know how I will manage the fare.'
Notably, over 235 buses of Punjab Roadways and PRTC remained off the roads from Ludhiana, affecting more than 80 routes, including interstate services to Katra, Jaipur, Ambala, Manali, Manikaran and Chintpurni. Additionally, several rural routes, including Machhiwara, Sultanpur, Nakodar and Shahkot were also affected.
Union stance
State general secretary Shamsher Singh Dhillon said repeated strikes were necessary because the government had 'ignored' their concerns. 'We have repeatedly warned that the Kilometre Scheme is a tool of corruption to benefit private operators. The government had assured us it would be scrapped, but now they are planning to induct more buses under it, wasting public money,' he said.
Dhillon added that while the salaries of contractual employees were released after the August 8 strike, outsourced workers are still awaiting their dues. 'Talks with the transport department have failed, so we have no option but to continue our strike,' he said.
Despite several attempts, Navraj Batish, General Manager, Punjab Roadways remained unavailable for the comments.