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Wheels come off of Punjab Roadways’ buses at Ludhiana depot amid fund crunch
Two buses at the Ludhiana depot await availability of new tyres, while another 12-13 need spare parts
At least a dozen Punjab Roadways buses are currently awaiting maintenance at the city depot, at a time when passengers find themselves battling for seats in the limited buses comprising the current fleet.
A Punjab Roadways employee not wishing to be named said two buses stationed at the city are awaiting availability of new tyres, while another 12-13 buses need other spare parts.
Sources said the buses awaiting repairs have been stationed at the depot amid a lack of funds. Notably, the state government owes an approximate ₹600 crore in dues to the transport department — which covers the cost of free travel services being offered to female passengers.
The same comes in the backdrop of state transport minister Laljit Singh Bhullar claiming that Punjab Roadways/Punbus and PEPSU Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) has witnessed an approximate 42% surge in revenue in 2022.
According to the minister, the Mann government has allocated a total of ₹558.85 crore to provide free travel facilities for women on buses operated by Punjab Roadways, Punbus, and PRTC between April and December 2022. The amount marks a significant increase from the ₹313.46 crore spent on the same programme during the corresponding period in the previous year.
Speaking of the same, Punjab Roadways general manager Navraj Batish said, “After every 15 days, we send the claim to the head office. On average 1.4 lakh female passengers travel in the Punjab Roadways buses in the period, making for bills up to ₹85 lakh. There are as many as 122 buses at the Ludhiana depot.”
The non-availability of buses has left passengers a harried lot, with Sharanjot Singh, who was travelling from Ludhiana to Chandigarh saying, “I have been waiting for the bus for the past one hour, but the one that just departed and was jam-packed. I tried to board the bus, but failed.”
Echoing the sentiment, Onkar Singh, another passenger said, “The government-run buses are crammed and passengers are struggling for seats. It’s a clear sign of the government’s lack of foresight in implementing new policies without ensuring proper planning and resources.”
Contractual workers postponed protest
The transport department is facing an acute financial crisis, leading to delays in the payment of salaries for contractual workers. Notably, the workers planned a state-wide protest on Thursday to voice their frustration regarding the same.
During a recent union meeting, however, the employees decided to postpone the protest after receiving assurances about their demands being heard by the management.
Union managing director Vipul Ujwal assured the employees that the management was trying their best to have the money for free travel services released, so that the salary of employees can be paid on time — adding that the salaries would be paid within two-three days.
Senior vice-president of the contractual workers’ union, Harkesh Kumar Vicky, meanwhile, said, “The union will block state-wide bus stands on February 22, from 10 am to 2 pm if their demands are not met.”
