Amid the festive rush, commuters travelling on government-run buses are likely to face another spell of disruption after contractual employees of Punjab Roadways and PRTC announced a statewide protest from October 23, threatening to bring bus operations to a grinding halt.
The protest has been announced under the banner of Punjab Roadways, Punbus and PRTC contractual workers’ union (25/11) against the induction of new Punjab Roadways and PRTC buses under kilometre scheme through private tenders.
The workers noted that the state transport department is preparing to open tenders for 19 luxury Volvo and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) kilometre scheme buses under Punjab Roadways on October 23, followed by ordinary bus tenders of PRTC buses on November 17.
Hence, escalating their agitation against the government’s kilometre scheme, the workers have warned of blocking major roads and staging sit-ins followed by an indefinite strike if their demands for regularisation and job security remained ignored, union leaders said.
Reportedly, the decision comes barely days after the workers had shut bus stand operations for more than two hours on October 14, throwing state transport services into disarray and leaving thousands of passengers stranded across Punjab.
In a press statement released on Sunday, Shamsher Singh Dhillon, state general secretary of the union said,” The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has failed to address our long pending issues and is “privatising” the state transport departments through the kilometre scheme. Instead of regularising thousands of contractual workers who have been serving for years, the government is outsourcing routes to private players, pushing us toward insecurity,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}In a press statement released on Sunday, Shamsher Singh Dhillon, state general secretary of the union said,” The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has failed to address our long pending issues and is “privatising” the state transport departments through the kilometre scheme. Instead of regularising thousands of contractual workers who have been serving for years, the government is outsourcing routes to private players, pushing us toward insecurity,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}He further alleged that the departments of Punjab Roadways and PRTC are already under severe financial strain, with the government yet to clear pending dues under free travel schemes. “We operate buses without adequate spare parts or resources and the existing fleet is stretched beyond capacity. The government has failed to induct new buses into the department for years while whatever few are being added now fall under the kilometre scheme. Instead of strengthening the public transport system, they are weakening it.”
When contacted, a senior PRTC official, seeking anonymity noted,” This has become a recurring issue now, where these workers frequently disrupt the operations of government run buses citing the kilometre scheme as the reason. The scheme was introduced to generate employment opportunities. Under it, private individuals bear the purchase cost of the buses helping us reduce our financial liability, while the drivers and conductors deployed on these vehicles are provided by us.”
Responding to these concerns, a senior Roadways official said, “The introduction of new buses under the kilometre scheme is still at the proposal stage with the final decision pending from the state transport department. Moreover, not all buses will be introduced under this scheme. Since luxury volvo and HVAC buses are expensive to maintain, Punjab Roadways is evaluating their deployment under this scheme.”