Ludhiana: Staff crunch cripples maintenance of state buses
The local workshop, which handles maintenance of a 135-bus fleet, has been hit by a steadily declining workshop over the past two years
The maintenance work at Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) workshop in Ludhiana has been adversely hit by a shortage staff, officials aware of the matter said.
The local workshop, which handles maintenance of a 135-bus fleet, has been hit by a steadily declining workshop over the past two years.
Jagtar Singh, a member of the Punjab Roadways, Punbus and PRTC Contractual Workers Union claimed the recruitment for these posts has been stagnant for the past five years. “When I joined in 2008, the workshop had 52 staff members. At present, that number has dwindled to 24,” he said.
PRTC general manager Praveen Kumar acknowledged that the staff crunch, but said it is not unique to Ludhiana. He said the situation is similar across the state. “We are working tirelessly to keep all the buses operational with our present team,” he said.
As the maintenance work is often delayed, buses continue to play on roads despite technical issues. This has raised concerns among the employees at the workshop as these 52-seater buses are often running with 100 passengers on board.
Workshop employees said the workforce consists of just four mechanics, five assistant mechanics, a tyreman and an assistant tyreman, and two cleaners. They said there are no welders or work managers at the facility. According to the employees, the absence of welders has led to delays and inefficiency in crucial structural repairs, compromising the safety and reliability of the buses.
Workshop employees raised concern over what they said were deteriorating maintenance standards leading to heightened risk of accidents due to an overstretched workforce.
“With an insufficient number of buses in operation, our limited staff is forced to keep every unit on the road, often at the cost of proper maintenance,” a worker said, requesting not to be named.
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