About 3,000 public buses go off road as staff begin strike

Nearly 7,500 contractual workers of Punjab Roadways, PUNBUS and Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) began their three-day strike on Monday at 27 bus depots across the state.

The strike pulled out of service about 3,000 buses causing inconvenience to passengers, including a large number of devotees who thronged major gurdwaras in the state to offer prayers on the birth anniversary of the 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh.

Many contractual workers said they did not want to cause inconvenience to the public but they were left with no option as the government denied them an increased salary and did not regularise their services.

Punjab Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar had held a meeting with the employees last week but it failed to resolve the issues.

The protesters said while the drivers were being paid between Rs 13,000 to Rs 18,000 depending on their joining, the conductors receive Rs 12,000 in salary per month.

In Bathinda, a union leader said they have been holding continuous meetings with the government over the issue for almost one year but every time the government deferred the issue.

In Sangrur, contractual workers of the PRTC staged a dharna at the town’s main bus stand.

Though the private bus operators and regular employees of the PRTC plied the buses, a large number of buses remained off the road.