Passengers feel the heat as buses stay off roads

The Amar Shaheed Sukhdev Interstate Terminal, known as one of the busiest bus stands in the region, witnesses an average of 1,400 buses arriving and departing daily and with approximately one lakh people visiting the bus stand on a regular basis, the impact of the strike was substantial

(Strap: The strike was called off in the evening after written assurance from the state government for consideration of their demands)

Passengers waiting for a bus at the Amar Shaheed Sukhdev Interstate Bus Terminal due to a strike called by the contractual workers, in Ludhiana (HT PHOTO)

Passengers at the city bus stand were at the receiving end on Tuesday after over 80% of state-run buses remained off road due to a protest by contractual workers over various issues, including increase in salaries.

The strike was called off in the evening after written assurance from the state government for consideration of their demands.

The Punjab Roadways Punbus PRTC Contract Workers Union began a two-day strike on Tuesday demanding a 5% salary increase and a review of the conditions outlined on July 18, 2014, concerning service rules, timings, and the removal of workers from the blacklist. The association members are also demanding regularisation of the services of contractual workers who have been employed for several years

Satnam Singh, a member of the association, emphasised the need for salary hikes for low-wage workers, revising the service rules, and granting a one-time opportunity to rectify the time slots for workers listed in the blacklist until July 10, 2023.

They warned that the strike would continue if their demands were not implemented by July 10.

Out of the 207 buses operated by PRTC and Punjab Roadways from the Ludhiana depot, only a handful were able to continue their regular operations, leaving the majority of buses out of service.

The Amar Shaheed Sukhdev Interstate Terminal, known as one of the busiest bus stands in the region, witnesses an average of 1,400 buses arriving and departing daily. With approximately one lakh people visiting the bus stand on a regular basis, the impact of the strike was substantial.

Kuldeep Kaur, a resident of Raikot, said that she and her children were waiting for the PRTC bus, which was scheduled to depart at around 1 pm. However, due to the unavailability of buses, they were forced to board an overcrowded private bus, further inconveniencing the family and compromising their safety.

Satnam Singh, a resident of Ferozepur, echoed similar sentiments, stating that most of the buses were overloaded with passengers as government buses were not available. As a result, people were compelled to pay higher fares while traveling on private buses, putting an additional financial burden on them.