Strike by employees of PRTC, Punjab Roadways leaves passengers stranded in Punjab, Chandigarh

Karam Prakash

Patiala, November 13

Chaotic scenes were witnessed at various bus terminals in the state and Chandigarh on Sunday after the employees of state transport undertakings (STUs) — Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) and Punjab Roadways — went on strike.

Commuters, especially women, had a tough time at various bus terminals as they had to wait for hours for buses.

Majority of the STUs buses, around 50 per cent, as per the sources, remained off roads. The protesting employees announced that they would intensify the protest on Monday.

Sanju, a passenger at Patiala bus stand, said, “In the fight between employees and government, we are suffering for no fault of ours. Government should make arrangements to help thousands of the passengers stranded at various bus terminals in the state.”

Another passenger said, “We have been waiting for a bus for over three hours at the bus stand to board bus to our destination. All the private buses are already overloaded with passengers, and people are scrambling to get on the buses.”

The sacking of a conductor by Punjab Roadways managementfor dereliction of duty was said to become theflashpoint of the current strike. The roadways authorities claimed that the conductor was found guilty of wrong practices.The employees counter-claimed that there was no fault of the said conductor.

It has been learned that a conductor of Batala Depot was fired after two passengers of the bus were found without ticket by the checking inspectors. The incident reportedly took place on November 1.

Harkesh Ricky, union leader, Punjab Roadways Contract Union and PRTC worker union, said, “We will intensify the protest on Monday if the government doesn’t reinstate the conductor. We will hold a protest outside the bus stands across the state.”

Meanwhile, Poonamdeep Kaur, Managing Director, PRTC, said, “We have been negotiating with PRTC employees to get them back on work since the issue pertains with Punjab roadways. We are hopeful that PRTC will be able to run all their buses on Monday.”