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Ludhiana: 105 buses sent for govt event in Hoshiarpur, commuters in lurch
We are ensuring that services keep running on high-demand routes to avoid inconvenience to passengers, says Navraj Batish, general Manager, Punjab Roadways
Passengers were once again left stranded at the Ludhiana Interstate Bus Terminus on Thursday after the state government diverted 105 Punjab Roadways and PRTC buses from regular services to ferry people to a state-level event at Khuralgarh Sahib in Hoshiarpur, scheduled for February 6, officials familiar with the matter said.
Notably, this is the fifth such redeployment of buses reported within a month, occurring at a time when the government-run bus fleet in Ludhiana is already struggling to cope with heavy commuter footfall. Officials, wishing not to be named, pointed out that repeated withdrawals of buses for political and official events have begun to severely disrupt routine public transport services, particularly on long and interstate routes.
According to official data, the government rerouted around 30 Punjab Roadways buses from Ludhiana out of its total fleet of 92 while the PRTC diverted 75 buses from its fleet of 131. Of these, 30 PRTC buses were sent to Phillaur to pick up AAP workers for the Hoshiarpur event while 25 buses were routed to Jalandhar and 10 buses each were sent to Sahnewal and Samrala.
Highlighting the scale of disruption, a senior transport official said the combined fleet strength of Punjab Roadways and PRTC depots in Ludhiana stands at 223 buses, serving thousands of daily commuters. “When nearly half the fleet is pulled out, the impact on public transport is inevitable. Passengers are forced to endure long waiting hours, overcrowded buses and frequent cancellations,” the official said.
Officials said the bus frequency was significantly reduced on routes connecting Ludhiana to Delhi, Hisar, Ambala, Jammu, Shimla, Amritsar, Patiala, Bathinda and Ferozepur among others. A member of the Punjab Roadways, Punbus and PRTC contract workers’ union, who did not wish to be named, said, “The impact was most severe on interstate operations.”
Commuters, meanwhile, expressed frustration over what they described as a recurring pattern of neglect of government bus operators. Sanjay, an office-goer waiting for a bus to Chandigarh, said, “I reached the bus stand early, thinking I would easily get a government bus. It has been more than an hour and there is still no clarity on when the bus will arrive. I have an important meeting scheduled and may now be forced to take an expensive private bus. Such disruptions have become routine where common passengers always end up paying the price.”
Similarly, Surbhi Jain, another commuter, said, “Every few days, buses are diverted for political rallies or events. The public transport system is supposed to serve passengers first, but it feels like commuters have taken a complete backseat, leaving us to face inconvenience.”
Reportedly, this is the fifth instance of large scale bus diversion from Ludhiana within a month. Earlier, around 132 buses were diverted for the Maghi Mela in Muktsar Sahib on January 14, followed by around 117 buses on January 8 for the oath-taking ceremony of Zila Parishad members in Ludhiana. On December 29, nearly 23 buses were sent to ferry workers for a state-level event in Gurdaspur.
When contacted, Navraj Batish, General Manager, Punjab Roadways acknowledged the diversion but said efforts were made to minimise inconvenience. “Around 30 buses from our Ludhiana depot have been diverted for a government event in Hoshiarpur. We have ensured services keep running on heavy footfall routes to avoid inconvenience to passengers,” he said.
