Roadways contractual staff end stir in Punjab, bus services resume

Roadways contractual employees ended their five-day strike and returned to work on Tuesday after a marathon meeting with senior officials in Patiala.

Transport Department officials confirmed that the protesting contractual staff had called off the strike and resumed duties, restoring bus services across the state. Union leader Kewal Singh also said that bus services had been restored.

“The deadlock ended after the government agreed to withdraw minor charges against the arrested union leaders,” sources said. Union leader Resham Singh said other key demands would be taken up after CM Bhagwant Mann returned from his foreign tour.

The meeting was held at the PRTC head office between union representatives and Patiala PRTC MD Bikramjit Singh Shergill and Patiala SSP Varun Sharma.

Parveen Kumar, one of the union representatives, said the government had agreed to free employees kept under preventive arrest, while those facing serious charges like attempt-to-murder would be released in a few days following due procedure.

Around 2,500 Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC), Punjab Roadways and PunBus buses had remained off the road during the strike, disrupting key revenue routes such as Delhi, Chandigarh, Sriganganagar and Jammu, causing hardship to passengers. Hectic activity was seen at bus termini across the state on Tuesday as drivers and conductors returned to duty and regular services resumed.

Resham Singh Gill, leader of the Punjab Roadways, Punbus and PRTC Contract Workers Union, claimed that 173 employees remained in police custody. Other union leaders alleged that the police had detained nearly 170 employees and slapped attempt-to-murder charges on 10 workers for allegedly attacking an inspector in Sangrur. Later during the day, contractual employees welcomed their comrades who were released from various police stations.

The state-wide protest began on November 28 against the opening of tenders under the kilometre-based bus scheme. Under the scheme, private operators lease buses to the Transport Department and are paid a fixed rate per kilometre covered. Workers say the move is a “backdoor attempt” to allow private players on government-notified routes, endangering thousands of jobs.