The contractual employees of Punjab Roadways and PRTC shut down the Ludhiana bus stand on Friday as a part of their ongoing protest against the state government for its failure in regularising their jobs.
As a result, chaos was witnessed outside the bus stand, and the passengers were left a harried lot.
The movement of private buses continued from outside the stand. Around 100 scheduled buses including, a few private ones, were cancelled during the protest, which continued from 10 am till noon.
The passengers were waiting for the buses inside and outside the stand. The movement of many buses also got delayed due to the protest. Traffic snarls were also witnessed outside the bus stand as many private buses were parked at the roadside.
Gurmeet Singh, a passenger, said,” I had to visit Jagraon for business but, as the movement of buses was delayed due to the protest, I had no other option but to wait for a private bus. The employees should not harass the public during their protest.”
The female passengers, who generally avail free travel facility in government-run buses, also raised a hue and cry over the agitation as they had to shell out for a journey in a private bus.
{{/usCountry}}The female passengers, who generally avail free travel facility in government-run buses, also raised a hue and cry over the agitation as they had to shell out for a journey in a private bus.
{{/usCountry}}One of the passengers, Daljit, said that she had to visit her relatives in Malerkotla and had to wait for around an hour to catch a government bus.
Meanwhile, the employees also protested against the state government and announced that they will go on a three-day strike from October 11 if their demands aren’t fulfilled.
Shamsher Singh, the district president of the contractual employees’ union, said that in the meeting held on September 14, the state government had announced that it will fulfil most of their demands.
“But the government has not regularised the staff yet. We will announce an indefinite strike if our demands are not met,” he said.
Tarsem Singh, sub-inspector, Punjab Roadways, said that over 100 scheduled buses, including government-run and few private ones, were cancelled due to the two-hour agitation. The operations were resumed after the protest.