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Ludhiana: Commuters left in the lurch as over 1,700 buses go off road
The bandh saw disruptions across 70 routes, with 600 state-owned buses, 150 from other states, and 950 private operators staying off the roads in Ludhiana. The standstill occurred after the Punjab Roadways/Punbus/PRTC contract workers’ union supported the farmers’ bandh
The usually bustling Ludhiana bus stand appeared deserted on Monday as over 1,700 buses, both state-owned and private, ceased operations in solidarity with the farmers’ Punjab Bandh call, leaving hundreds of commuters stranded in the biting cold.
The bandh saw disruptions across 70 routes, with 600 state-owned buses, 150 from other states, and 950 private operators staying off the roads in Ludhiana.
The standstill occurred after the Punjab Roadways/Punbus/PRTC contract workers’ union supported the farmers’ bandh on Saturday, endorsing their demands as legitimate. While the union had initially announced that buses would halt operations from 10 am to 2 pm, services were unexpectedly suspended from as early as 7 am on Monday morning.
Passengers’ plight
Dharmendra Kumar, a traveller heading to Delhi, said: “I was excited to meet my friends to celebrate the New Year with them. I’ve been waiting for the bus since 6.30 am, but now I have no choice but to go back. I can’t endure this biting cold any longer, especially with no sign of services resuming.”
Amandeep, another passenger hoping to catch a bus to Patiala, said, “I came to visit my ailing friend on Sunday, and now I’m stuck here with nowhere to go. I never expected such a hassle when I set out.”
Kirandeep, on her way to Moga, shared her situation, “I urgently need to reach home for my father’s last rites due tomorrow. But now, I’m forced to wait, helpless, in the hope that the services will resume, while my family anxiously waits for me.”
Similarly, Aarti, a single mother with two toddlers travelling from Manali, said, “I was on my way to visit my family in Ambala, but now I’m stuck here since 7 am, unsure when the buses will start running again. My main concern is my children as the cold is unbearable, and I’m afraid they might fall ill.”
Soaring taxi fares
The disruption forced passengers to rely on private taxis, which hiked their fares steeply by ₹1,000 to ₹1,500 above the usual prices on all the prominent routes. Trips from Ludhiana to Delhi, usually costing around ₹2,300, soared to ₹5,000, while fares to Chandigarh doubled from ₹1,200 to ₹2,500.
Shamsher Singh, general secretary of the union, said, “We stand with the farmers and have participated in demonstrations at the Laddowal toll plaza with over 100 members.”
Singh further criticized the government for ignoring farmers’ demands, including the deteriorating health of leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on fast unto death for the past 35 days.
Satnam Singh, another union member, urged the government to address the long-standing demands of both farmers and transport workers to prevent further agitation.
Revenue loss
Navraj Batish, general manager of Punjab Roadways, revealed that the Ludhiana bus stand caters to 1.5 lakh passengers daily. Monday’s shutdown caused an estimated revenue loss of ₹3.25 lakh to Ludhiana bus depot including ₹1.75 lakh from bus operations and ₹1.5 lakh as adda fees.
Notably, the Punjab Bandh was called by farmers to intensify demands for a legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.
