Contractual transport employees’ strike enters Day 2 in Ludhiana

Passengers shifted to private operators on second day of strike called by the PRTC and Punjab Roadways contractual employees.

The strike called by the PRTC and Punjab Roadways contractual employees entered its second day, with at least 200 buses being cancelled on Wednesday.

There are around 124 PRTC and 150 Punbus buses that run from the Ludhiana depot, a large number of which are operated by contractual employees. (HT File)

While the footfall at the bus terminal was relatively low, the arriving passengers were still forced to turn to private buses.

Gurpreet Singh, a resident of Barewal village, said “I had to visit Chandigarh, but no government bus was available, while private buses were plying more than their capacity.”

According to the members of the PRTC and Punjab Roadways Contractual Employees Union, there are around 124 PRTC and 150 Punbus buses that run from the Ludhiana depot, a large number of which are operated by contractual employees.

“Similarly, buses at other depots of the state are also not operational and the strike will continue till our demands are not fulfilled by the government,” said members of the union

Female passengers could also not avail the benefit of free travel in the government buses. A female passenger said, “There was no government bus available for Jalandhar, due to which I had to pay the private bus operator for the trip.”

Speaking about the strike’s impact, a transport department employee said, “Due to the strike, passengers have shifted to private operators, which is causing loss to the government exchequer.”