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Ludhiana: Row over KM scheme: Commuters left in a lurch as more than 140 buses stay off roads during strike
Union calls off strike as transport minister assures release of detained leaders and reinstate terminated workers
Nearly 144 buses remained off the roads on Sunday following the strike by workers of the Punjab Roadways, Punbus and PRTC Contract Workers’ Union, who refused to join duty for the third consecutive day, leaving commuters frustrated and stranded.
However later in the evening, union workers agreed to call off the strike following assurances from transport minister Laljit Singh Bhullar that all detained and jailed union leaders would be released and the termination order of the workers would be reinstated.
The strike intensified after the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) terminated 34 contractual staff members at the Ludhiana bus depot on Saturday. The dismissals included 19 outsourced conductors and drivers, along with 15 advance bookers, who were allegedly involved in the protest and had refused duty.
An official letter issued by PRTC on November 29 confirmed that the terminations were related to the ongoing strike. In total, over 350 workers in Ludhiana participated in the strike, which started on Friday following the detention of more than 150 union leaders across Punjab. The strike intensified as union members revealed that 23 FIRs had been registered against the detained leaders, including State Vice President Harkesh Kumar Vicky, who, along with 50 others, was transferred to Patiala Central Jail on Sunday afternoon.
Impact of the stir
As the strike entered its third day, public transport in Ludhiana remained severely disrupted.
According to Rakesh Kumar, station superintendent at the Ludhiana bus stand, only 20% of government-run buses were operational. Of the 450 Roadways buses from across Punjab arriving at the Ludhiana bus stand, only 50 buses were running on their scheduled routes. Similarly, only 65 out of 135 PRTC buses were operational.
Commuters frustrated
Priya Sharma, a traveler heading to Bathinda, expressed her frustration, saying, “With only a handful of buses running, I’ve been waiting endlessly. It’s stressful not knowing when the next bus will arrive.”
Rajni, another commuter, added, “I have been forced to rely on private buses since most government buses are not running, even though they are charging extra. We are just hoping the strike ends soon.”
What union leaders say
In a video released while being transferred to Patiala jail, the detained leaders said, “The state government is treating us like criminals. We were arrested from our homes around 4 am while sleeping with our families, held for over two days, and now shifted to jail. It has been days since we last spoke to our families.”
Parveen Kumar, general secretary of the Ludhiana union, said, “We are a registered union pressing genuine demands through democratic protests. Earlier also, we have protested under previous governments, but no one has treated us like this.” “In 2013, Punjab Roadways and PRTC workers refused to operate government buses for 49 days continuously, yet no such drastic measures were taken. It is astonishing to witness the government resort to such aggressive steps without giving us a fair chance to present our demands.”
Why are contractual workers protesting
The contractual workers are protesting against the state government’s Kilometre Scheme, under which private operators run buses on government-designated routes in exchange for a fixed per-kilometre payment.
Harjinder Singh, a union member, explained, “The transport department pays private operators around ₹9.5 per kilometre, even if a bus does not operate. Under this scheme, private operators are responsible for maintaining and operating the buses and providing their own drivers, while the government only supplies a conductor and pays them per kilometre.”
He added that since coming to power, the government has not inducted a single new bus into the state fleet. “The existing fleet is shrinking, and most new buses are entering service only through the Kilometre Scheme. When we can operate our own buses, why is the government paying private operators? This scheme is paving the way for gradual privatisation of public transport, reducing government control over essential services and increasing corruption.”
Agreement to end agitation
In a video message released at 9pm, Resham Singh Gill, the state president of the union, announced that after a seven-hour-long meeting with transport minister Laljit Singh Bhullar in Patti, significant agreements had been reached. Minister Bhullar has committed to releasing all detained and jailed union leaders, as well as reinstating the terminated workers. Additionally, the tenders issued under the kilometre scheme have been put on hold, with a separate meeting scheduled to address the union’s concerns regarding the scheme. He also assured the induction of 1,000 new buses into the current fleet. Gill confirmed that the strike would be called off, with bus services set to resume on Monday morning, once all leaders are released and have returned to their respective depots.
The strike will also end after receiving an official letter from Punjab Roadways and PRTC confirming the reinstatement of the terminated staff.
