Ludhiana: Roadways employees halt operations for two hours over new timetable

Confusion created at bus stand as new timetable was released for166 buses operating on Ludhiana-Malerkotla- Sangrur route

The operations of over 100 buses at the Ludhiana bus stand remained disrupted for two hours leading to a commotion which erupted over the release of the new timetable, meant for 166 buses operating on Ludhiana-Malerkotla- Sangrur route by the regional transport authority, Patiala.

Punjab Roadways staff staged a two-hour strike opposing the new timetable, which favors PRTC and private buses with extended stoppage times in Ludhiana (HT Photo)

The staff of Punjab Roadways expressed their angst by halting the operations of all the Punjab Roadways, PRTC and other private buses in a demonstration staged from 10am to 12pm at the Ludhiana depot.

Punjab Roadways Contract Worker Union head Satnam Singh alleged, “We have raised our voice over the unfair stoppage time allocated to PRTC and private buses as per the new timetable. The concerned officials have allotted more minutes to them to halt as compared to roadways buses for their own commercial gains.”

Notably, the bus stand in Ludhiana is operated by Punjab Roadways, still their buses were given less stoppage time than others here, he added.

Shamsher Singh, President of Bus Union, Ludhiana asserted,” The new timetable was released without consulting any officials managing the bus operations on this route. The authority has now implemented the old timetable, reverting to the new one in wake of our protest.”

Amid this fiasco, passengers traveling to various destinations remained at the receiving end, waiting for the bus services to resume.

Jaspreet, a frequent traveller to Sangrur said,” I work in a public bank here and was heading to meet my family on the weekend. However, after reaching here in the morning, I needed to wait till the bus staff and concerned authorities resolved their concerns.”

Punjab Roadways general manager Navraj Batish deferring the demonstration cited,” The halt in operations was due to a simple argument that broke out among the staff of Punjab Roadways, PRTC, and private buses. Once their concerns about the timetable were addressed, operations resumed within 20 to 25 minutes.”