Contractual staff of of the PRTC, PUNBUS to keep bus stands across Punjab closed today

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 8

As the state government “failed” to meet their demands, the contractual employees of the PRTC and PUNBUS have announced to intensify the agitation. They announced to keep the bus stands across the state closed on Thursday to mark their protest.

Meanwhile, the contractual government bus employees continued their strike on the third day on Wednesday. The employees associated with the Punjab Roadways and PUNBUS Contract Workers Union Punjab also carried out a bike rally to mark the protest against the government.

The employees have been demanding the regularisation of services of all PUNBUS and PRTC contractual employees for a long time. They are also demanding from the government to purchase new government buses to improve the transport service in the state.

The union members said today’s meeting with the government authorities in Chandigarh remained unsuccessful. Shamsher Singh, president of the Ludhiana unit of the association, said, “A delegation of the union met the Chief Secretary, Punjab, today but none of our demands was met during the meeting. Now, we will keep the bus stands in the state closed on September 9.”

The union members said they would protest in Chandigarh on September 10 and gherao the farmhouse of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh. They have also announced that effigies of the Congress government would be burnt and highways would be blocked too in the coming days if their demands are not met.

The contractual employees first protested at the Amar Shaheed Sukhdev Interstate Bus Stand, Ludhiana, and then took out a protest rally.

Around 7,600 employees in the state, including about 600 employees of Ludhiana, had gone on an indefinite strike on Monday, demanding regularisation of their services and strengthening of the government bus service.

Meanwhile, passengers opted for travelling by private buses due to the strike by the contractual staff of the PRTC and PUNBUS in the state.

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