Ludhiana: Over 200 buses to stay off roads in city amid three-day statewide strike

Over 200 Punjab Roadways and PRTC buses at the Ludhiana bus depot will remain off the roads on Wednesday, amid a three-day statewide strike called by the Punjab Roadways, Punbus, and PRTC Contractual Workers Union from July 9 to 11, officials said.

Over 200 Punjab Roadways and PRTC buses at the Ludhiana bus depot will remain off the roads on Wednesday, amid a three-day statewide strike called by the Punjab Roadways, Punbus, and PRTC Contractual Workers Union from July 9 to 11, officials familiar with the matter said. The strike is also part of a nationwide agitation called by the several central trade unions on July 9.

Explaining the route disruptions, officials noted that the Ludhiana bus depot operates a fleet of around 250 buses, including 115 Punjab Roadways and 135 PRTC buses. Over 80% of these are run by contractual staff, most of whom will join the strike. (HT Photo)

Additionally, the impact of the strike is expected to be severe, affecting bus services on around 50 major routes. This includes prominent interstate routes such as Delhi, Katra, Jaipur, Ambala, Manali, Manikaran, and Chintpurni, leaving thousands of daily commuters in the lurch.

In addition to interstate disruption, local routes connecting Ludhiana to Payal, Raikot, Machhiwara, Sultanpur, Fazilka, Nakodar, and Shahkot will also be affected. Officials said these are among the busiest rural routes, and with the majority of drivers and conductors operating here, being contractual employees, normal operations will be hit hard.

Explaining the route disruptions, officials noted that the Ludhiana bus depot operates a fleet of around 250 buses, including 115 Punjab Roadways and 135 PRTC buses. Over 80% of these are run by contractual staff, most of whom will join the strike.

Notably, the three day strike has been called to press for several long-pending demands including job regularisation of around 8,200 contractual and outsourced drivers and conductors; abolition of contract based hiring, roll back of PRTC kilometre scheme and induction of new buses in the fleet.

Shamsher Singh Dhillon, state general secretary of the union asserted, “We have held several rounds of meetings with the state government, but they have consistently failed to fulfil their promises. This has forced us to go on strike time and again. It’s been a year since Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced the formation of a committee to address our demands during a meeting on July 1, 2024, held during the Jalandhar bypoll. Yet, nothing has moved forward. Hence, they have left us with no other choice but to protest.”

When contacted, Navraj Batish, general manager of Punjab Roadways at the Ludhiana depot, clarified, “This is not a complete shutdown. We have assigned duties to ensure that operations continue on major routes. However, since a majority of our workforce comprises contractual and outsourced employees, routine services will be significantly affected.”