PRTC, Punbus strike leaves commuters stranded at Chandigarh’s ISBT-43

Passengers heading towards Amritsar, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Ludhiana, Moga and other stations across the state were forced to wait for hours as there were no buses at the terminal

Passengers at Inter State Bus Terminal, Sector 43, (ISBT-43) were left waiting on Tuesday as government buses went off road after a strike was called by Punjab Roadways, PUNBUS and PRTC contract workers union. Around 850 government buses enter the bus terminal every day.

Passengers waiting for buses at ISBT-43 in Chandigarh on Tuesday. (Ravi Kumar/HT )

The union called off the strike after a meeting with transport department officials.

Passengers heading towards Amritsar, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Ludhiana, Moga and other stations across the state were forced to wait for hours as there were no buses at the terminal. There was a huge rush at all the ticket counters and waiting areas.

Passengers had thronged to platforms of bus stand, unaware of the ongoing strike. The unavailability of buses, amid the scorching heat, added to the commuters’ plight.

Malkit Singh, station supervisor at ISBT-43, said that he made efforts to arrange buses from other depots to east the situation. He added that they had requested two buses from Haryana Roadways and arranged some CTU drivers to work overtime to ensure service for the passengers.

Jalor Singh, a Moga resident who had come to Chandigarh for official work, had to wait at the bus terminal for over an hour. Having arrived at 8.30 am with an expectation of returning by the afternoon, he said that the delay caused significant inconvenience for him. “If government bus workers are on strike, appropriate provisions should be made to ensure the welfare of passengers. Why is the public is being harassed?” said Singh.

Shamsher Singh, general secretary of the workers union, said that they held a meeting with senior officials of the transport department in mini secretariat and were assured that their major demands will be met. “Our primary demands are regularisation of our employment, 5% salary increment and withdrawal of the kilometre scheme in PRTC,” he said.

Ravinder Singh, a Chandigarh resident, was left waiting for a bus to Ludhiana for over two hours. Expressing his disappointment, he said he missed an important meeting because of the delay caused by the strike.

Amarjeet Singh, a Barnala resident who had come to the city for medical treatment, was also left waiting for bus. He said that with his medical difficulties, it was difficult for him to wait amid the high temperature.