On Thursday, contractual staff of PUNBUS, ਪੰਜਾਬ Roadways, and PRTC went on a 2-hour strike from 10 am to 12 noon, following a call by the state contract workers’ union. As a result, no ਸਰਕਾਰ buses ran across ਪੰਜਾਬ during that time.
Many passengers were unaware of the strike. Achint Kaur, a senior citizen, was waiting at the bus stand to go to Patiala. “I didn’t know about the strike. My son dropped me and left for work. Now I have to wait till 12 pm,” she said.
Bus stands across the state looked empty and silent, as all buses were removed from the platforms by the protesting staff.
Swaranjit Singh, a union leader, said workers were not being regularised, buses lacked spare parts, and salaries were delayed. He also criticized the ਸਰਕਾਰ for offering free bus rides to women while ignoring staff salaries.
Meanwhile, Jaswinder Singh Grewal, general secretary of the Small-Scale ਜ਼ਿਲ੍ਹਾ Bus Operator Welfare Association, said private bus operators are losing passengers due to the free travel scheme. He demanded that the ਸਰਕਾਰ provide incentives to private operators as well.
