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Ludhiana: Commuters irked as protesters block Ludhiana-Delhi highway
The blockade, which began at 12 pm and continued till 1.30 pm, left hundreds of commuters travelling to meet their friends and family on Bhai Dooj stuck in traffic snarls
The contractual workers of Punjab Roadways, Punbus and PRTC held Sherpur Chowk on Ludhiana-Delhi highway under siege for more than one and half hour, in protest against the tender process of new luxury buses under Kilometre Scheme. The blockade, which began at 12 pm and continued till 1.30 pm, left hundreds of commuters travelling to meet their friends and family on Bhai Dooj stuck in traffic snarls, forcing them to bear the brunt of the disruption.
Expressing his frustration, Paramjit Singh, a local commuter, said, “We are stuck in traffic for almost two hours with no way to move. I was trying to reach Ambala to celebrate Bhai Dooj with my family, but this blockade ruined our plans. We have no idea when the traffic will be cleared as all sides have been blocked by the workers, leaving us completely stranded.”
Echoing similar sentiments, Ravinder Kaur , who was travelling from Ludhiana to Delhi, said, “I had urgent work to attend to in Delhi, but the blockade left me stranded. Even emergency vehicles were struggling to pass through. The protest may be important for workers, but it is causing severe trouble to ordinary people.”
Baljit Singh, another commuter, said, “We understand the workers’ demands, but being stuck like this for hours, especially during a festival, is extremely frustrating. The authorities should have managed the traffic better to reduce the hardship for the public.”
Services impacted on multiple routes
Notably, the stretch is among Ludhiana’s busiest roads, serving as a critical artery connecting the city to Patiala, Ambala, Panipat, Delhi and Jammu.
Navraj Batish, general manager of Punjab Roadways at the Ludhiana bus depot, said, “The blockade severely affected the timetable of our buses running on multiple routes including Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala, Delhi, and Jammu as all the major highways across Punjab been have blocked by the protesting workers.”
We had to re-route several services to avoid the gridlock, but this caused delays and inconvenience to passengers waiting at different stops. With the festive rush of Bhai Dooj, passenger footfall was slightly higher than usual, adding to the chaos. Even after partial clearance of the blockade, our buses were still running behind schedule, he added.
Tender postponed till Oct 31
The protesters, under the banner of the Punjab Roadways, Punbus, and PRTC contractual workers union (25/11), were demonstrating against the state transport department’s tender process for new Punbus luxury buses under the Kilometre Scheme. According to officials, the scheme plans to induct 142 HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) buses and 19 Volvo buses.
Following the protests, state transport officials assured the agitating union that the tender process for the Kilometre Scheme would be postponed until October 31 in a meeting held in Chandigarh, leading the union to resume the vehicular movement at Sherpur Chowk.
Shamsher Singh Dhillon, state general secretary of the union said, We had already held two meetings with the government regarding the tender process and had demonstrated that the Kilometre Scheme (private buses) would result in financial losses. Despite this, the government continues to favour corporate interests, leading to the privatisation of the state transport system.
“Today, we withdrew our protest after the department assured us of scrapping these new tenders. If the tenders are not cancelled, roadblocks will be again organised in all cities across Punjab on October 31,” Dhillon added.
Meanwhile, deferring these claims, senior transport officials explained that the Kilometre Scheme is a government initiative where private operators are contracted through to run buses on state and intercity routes. Under this model, the government pays operators a fixed amount per kilometre travelled instead of running the buses directly. The authorities also provide their own driver and conductor on these buses, ensuring no job loss.
