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Roadways employees block Kharar-Chandigarh highway, commuters stuck in two-hour jam
The protesters began their march towards Chandigarh around noon but were stopped by Mohali and Chandigarh Police near Max Hospital, close to the city’s entry point. Their demonstration caused a massive traffic jam for nearly two hours, with vehicles lined up for miles over and under the Airport Road flyover.
The commuters were left stranded for nearly two hours on Monday after contractual employees of Punjab Roadways, Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) and PunBus staged a major protest in Mohali, blocking the Kharar-Chandigarh highway.
The employees, under the banner of the PR-PRTC-PunBus Employees Union, have been demanding regularisation of contractual staff along with other service benefits. Punjab district president of the union, Ranjit Singh Gill, said, “We gathered today at Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Inter-State Bus Terminus, Mohali, to protest and march towards the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. We want to meet the Chief Minister and discuss our demands face-to-face.”
The protesters began their march towards Chandigarh around noon but were stopped by Mohali and Chandigarh Police near Max Hospital, close to the city’s entry point. Their demonstration caused a massive traffic jam for nearly two hours, with vehicles lined up for miles over and under the Airport Road flyover.
Despite traffic diversions by Mohali Police onto the Airport Road, commuters faced long delays. Many, including those heading to Civil Hospital and Max Hospital, remained stuck in the gridlock.
Sheetal Singh, a commuter driving from Ludhiana to Chandigarh, said, “This has become a routine affair. The government must allocate a designated place for protests. If protesters hold residents to ransom by blocking roads for hours, strict action should be taken.”
Police officials said they had been deployed since morning to pacify protesters. However, once the march began, the Chandigarh highway had to be closed and traffic diverted, leading to further congestion. The highway was reopened around 2:30 pm after protesters dispersed.
