Latest news with #PunjabRoadways
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Strike by PRTC, Punjab Roadways employees keeps buses off the road for third day
Chaos continued to prevail at various bus terminals across Punjab on Saturday as the strike by 8,000 contractual employees of the state transport undertakings (STUs) — Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) and Punjab Roadways — entered its third day. Passengers stranded at the Patiala bus stand amid the contractual staff's strike on Saturday. (HT) However, the deadlock ended late in the evening after the government gave firm assurances to the agitating workers that their demands will be met. Following this, bus services are set to resume from August 17 (Sunday), bringing relief to thousands of commuters after three days of severe hardship. Functioning of as many as 27 depots had been in disarray since August 14. On Saturday, nearly 70% of the 3,200 STU buses remained off the road, leaving passengers stranded. Inter-state travellers were the worst hit as only state-run buses operate out of Punjab. Amrinder Singh, one of the passengers waiting at Patiala bus stand on Saturday, said, 'In the fight between employees and government, it is we who are suffering with no fault of ours. The government should make alternative arrangements to help passengers stranded at various bus terminals in the state.' Palakdeep Singh, a commuter travelling to Chandigarh, added, 'After waiting for hours, I had to book a cab. This is a huge harassment to the people of Punjab.' The strike, which saw protesters raising slogans against the government at depots, was triggered by the government's plan to add buses under the Kilometre scheme (outsourcing). The employees were also demanding regularisation of jobs, 5% pay hike annually and a ban on outsourcing. Harkesh Kumar, general secretary of the Punjab Roadways, Punbus and PRTC Contractual Workers' Union, said the government had failed to implement commitments made in the August 15 meeting chaired by the Punjab chief secretary. 'We had sought implementation within 15 days, but the written assurance fell short of what was promised. That is why the strike continued,' he said earlier in the day. Nearly 8,200 contractual and outsourced employees have been seeking regularisation for over a decade. Currently, conductors earn ₹17,000 per month and drivers ₹18,000. 'We were promised policies for regularisation in 2017 and again in 2022, but successive governments failed to keep their word,' said Chanan Singh, general secretary of the union. But on Saturday evening, after day-long chaos for passengers, the government reached out with fresh assurances of fulfilling the employees' demands, following which the union announced that the strike will be deferred. The union said it had decided to postpone the protest as they had been promised a meeting with the transport minister on August 19 and another with the chief minister on August 26. Shamsher Singh Dhillon, state general secretary of the union, said, 'We have decided to postpone the strike in view of the assurances received from the government regarding our key demands. We will continue to monitor the implementation of these commitments and take further action if necessary.'
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: Salary delay, regular job demand sparks bus strike, people hassled
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.
Hans India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Punjab: Contractual employees of state-run buses go off road; commuters hit
Chandigarh: Commuters across Punjab faced inconvenience as contractual employees of the state-owned Punjab Roadways, Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC), and Punbus went on an indefinite strike on Thursday against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP government, demanding the regularisation of contractual employees and addressing their long-standing issues. Protestors did not allow buses of Punjab Roadways and Punbus to ply in several towns and cities. The worst affected places were Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Amritsar, Bathinda, Ferozepur and Moga. Nearly 8,000 employees of Punjab Roadways, PRTC and Punbus were on strike. Bus services on inter-state routes and within the state were affected, officials said. Harkesh Kumar, senior vice-president of the PRTC, Punbus and Punjab Roadways contract workers unions, said apart from scrapping tenders under the kilometre scheme for private players, the unions had alleged that Transport Minister Laljit Bhullar had failed to fulfil their demands. After Wednesday, the government called for another round of meetings with union leaders here on Thursday to end the dialogue. The protesters held demonstrations at 27 bus depots, raising slogans against the government. Kumar threatened to gherao Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann during the state-level Independence Day function in Faridkot. 'Our demands are simple. We urge the government to regularise all contractual staff and end the draconian guidelines.' Government functionary Jasdeep Singh Lalli said while PRTC operates 1,200 buses, Punjab Roadways has around 1,600, and no new buses have been added to the PRTC fleet in the past four years. He said the government pays taxes for routes of 5,000 km each month where no buses are currently operating. Another union leader, Shamsher Singh, said, 'The department hasn't credited our monthly salaries. How are we supposed to celebrate the festival without our dues? They claim the funds have been released, but nothing has reached our accounts.'
Hindustan Times
09-08-2025
- Hindustan Times
1.5-hour PRTC strike leaves Ludhiana commuters hassled
Hundreds of commuters heading to their homes for Raksha Bandhan, found themselves stranded on Friday afternoon after contractual staff of Punjab Roadways, PRTC, and Punbus went on an impromptu strike, abruptly halting state-run bus operations across the state. The stranded commuters at Ludhiana bus stand during the strike on Friday. (Manish/HT) The strike, under the banner of the Punjab Roadways, Punbus and PRTC Contractual Workers Union, which lasted from 2 pm to 3.30 pm, brought state-run bus operations to a halt, severely disrupting travel plans ahead of the festival. The union called off the strike after receiving a confirmation for a meeting with the state transport authorities on August 13. The disruption, which took place at Ludhiana bus stands already brimming with passengers, added chaos to an already crowded and festive atmosphere. With the humid weather intensifying the discomfort, passengers, particularly women, were seen frantically rushing between platforms in search of limited private buses. Among the stranded was 55-year-old Kulwinder Kaur, who was trying to reach Moga. 'I was waiting for my bus when suddenly they announced that no government-run buses would operate. It's been over an hour and I still can't find a private bus to Moga. It's so confusing here,' she said, visibly frustrated. Savita, travelling with her five-year-old son to Malerkotla, said, 'They should have informed us earlier, or stopped the services in the morning. Now, in the middle of the day, where do we go? I was supposed to tie Rakhi to my brother, but the delay has ruined our plans,' she said. The strike stemmed from ongoing issues between union leaders and the state transport department regarding delayed salaries of outsourced and contractual employees, along with concerns about the tendering of new buses under the kilometre scheme. Shamsher Singh, state general secretary of the union, stated, 'The department hasn't credited our monthly salaries. How are we supposed to celebrate the festival without our dues? They claim the funds have been released, but nothing has reached our accounts.' Singh also criticised the ambiguity surrounding the kilometre scheme tender. 'No official notification on this. How can we trust the management without a formal letter?' he added. This is not the first time that Punjab Roadways, Punbus, and PRTC contractual workers have resorted to striking during peak hours. Over the past year, the union has disrupted bus operations eight times, leaving passengers dependent on these buses for their daily commutes stranded and frustrated. In response, Punjab Roadways general manager Navraj Batish said, 'We are in talks with the protesting workers and have promised them that all pending salaries will be credited by Friday evening.'
Hindustan Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Roadways contractual employees call off strike after Punjab government assurance
Bus services across Punjab were hit as contractual employees of the state-owned Punjab Roadways and Pepsu Road Transportation Corporation began their three-day strike on Wednesday to press their demands, including regularisation of their jobs, abolition of contract-based hiring and induction of new buses. A view of buses parked at Amritsar Interstate Bus Terminal (ISBT) as contract workers of Punjab Roadways and PRTC (Pepsu Road Transport Corporation) strike work in Amritsar on Wednesday. (ANI) Later in the evening, the employee unions withdrew their stir following a meeting with finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema and transport minister Laljit Singh Bhullar in Chandigarh. After talks with union representatives, Cheema directed the transport department to hold a meeting with them in the next 15 days to consider their demands and submit a concrete report to the cabinet subcommittee, headed by him, to resolve their legitimate issues, according to an official statement. The finance minister assured the union leaders that the Punjab government is making every possible effort to resolve their long-pending issues. Earlier in the day, confusion and chaos prevailed at major bus stands, with many passengers unaware of the strike. In Bathinda and adjoining districts, more than 75% of buses stayed off the road and the protesters blocked the exits of various bus stands, affecting services. In Hoshiarpur, Davinder Kumar (66), a resident of Bane Di Hatti near Gagret in Himachal Pradesh, said he arrived with his wife on a Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus this morning, intending to board a government bus to Gurdaspur. He was unaware of the strike and had been waiting at the bus stand for over an hour. 'I had no option but to board a packed private bus,' he said. Vishal (21), a resident of Dasuya who works in Chandigarh said. 'I was on a short leave and reached Hoshiarpur from my home town Dasuya this morning in a private bus. I've been waiting here at the bus stand for nearly an hour, but not a single private bus to Chandigarh has arrived yet,' he said. 'With government buses remaining off the roads, I have no other alternative but to rely on a private bus, whenever it comes. At the Sangrur bus stand also a passenger working in a private bank said he waited for a bus for over an hour to go to his office in Patiala. A representative of the union said they had given notice about the strike a month ago. Punjab Roadways PUNBUS and PRTC Contract Workers Union president Raminder Singh said the strike was aimed at pressing long-pending demands, including regularisation of contractual workers. In Ludhiana too, passengers bore the brunt of the strike. The union has been demanding job regularisation for around 8,200 contractual and outsourced drivers and conductors. It is also seeking the abolition of contractual hirings, rollback of the PRTC Kilometre scheme and induction of new buses in the fleet. CITU holds protest In a separate protest, hundreds of workers affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) held dharnas raising slogans against the central and state governments. In Kapurthala, nearly 200 protesters affiliated with various trade unions and Samyukt Kissan Morcha blocked vehicular traffic near the bus stand. They held a sit-in in the middle of the Kapurthala-Jalandhar road in support of their demands. The central trade unions such as CITU, INTUC and AITUC were pressing to do away with the four labour codes, contractualisation, and privatisation of PSUs. They were seeking an increase in minimum wages to ₹26,000 per month and pressing for the demands of farmer organisations for minimum support price (MSP) for crops based on the Swaminathan Commission's formula of C2 plus 50% and loan waiver. WITH INPUTS FROM AGENCIES
