Truck operators block national highway, commuters harassed

Patiala, December 31

Commuters travelling on the national highway on the Shambhu-Amritsar stretch were in for a major harassment after a strike call by the All-Punjab Truck Operators Union here late last night. Despite efforts by the district administration and a meeting with the local MLA, the union members continued to block the highway, resulting in diversion of traffic at many places, leading to snarl-ups.

Traffic diverted

We have made some diversions to help commuters. Long jams have been witnessed at a few places. Traffic coming from Amritsar and Delhi has been diverted through Zirakpur, leading to chaos at certain places. — Raghbir Singh, Ghanour DSP

The police had to divert the traffic at several places. Commuters said there was no prior warning and many had to spend over five hours in the traffic chaos that prevailed as the truck operators blocked the entry and exit near Shambhu.

Harmeet Singh, a Delhi resident, said, “After struggling for three hours, we finally managed to stop at a dhaba and have breakfast. I was on my way to Amritsar to visit the Golden Temple, but there were long queues of vehicles near Shambhu. After waiting for long, cops diverted the traffic towards Zirakpur from where we had to take a diversion and re-enter the national highway near Fatehgarh Sahib.”

The truck operators are demanding that the government reinstate truck unions across Punjab. They are protesting against the government’s decision to disband the truck unions by bringing in The Punjab Goods Carriages (Regulations and Prevention of Cartelisation Rules).

The government’s move not only aims at breaking the cartel or syndicate of the truck operators but also to stop the practice of using truck operators and its lobby by politicians for muscle power during elections.

Members of the All-Punjab Truck Operators Union claimed that truck operators did not transport goods, including essential commodities due to the protest. A member said 134 truck unions operating in the state observed strike.

Joined by almost all unions in Punjab, hundreds of trucks were used to block the national highway to mark their protest demanding that truck unions be allowed to operate in the state.

Ghanour DSP Raghbir Singh said, “We have made some diversions to help the commuters. Long jams have been witnessed at a few places. Traffic coming from Amritsar and Delhi has been diverted through Zirakpur, leading to chaos at certain places.”

The union members claim that they have been suffering losses for years, especially during the pandemic; therefore, unions should be allowed to run.

According to sources, some unions have already been operating illegally in many subdivisions of Punjab.