Passengers harassed as govt-run PRTC, PEPSU go on 2-hour strike

Passengers underwent inconvenience as the Punjab Roadways, PUNBUS, PRTC Contractual Workers Union observed a two-hour strike and staged a sit-in in front of the Shahid Madan Lal Dhingra Inter-State Bus Stand (ISBT) to impress upon the government to accept their long pending demands on Wednesday.

Raising slogans in support of their various demands, including permanent positions, they observed strike from 10 am to 12 pm.

After the transport minister could not reach to take part in the meeting with the representatives of the Punjab Roadways, PUNBUS, PRTC Contract Workers Union, a delegation of the transport officials participated in it. However, the meeting remained inconclusive as a result of which irate members of the Union went on strike.     

They warned of going for an indefinite strike if their concerns were not addressed in the proposed meeting with the Punjab transport minister on October 29. The members said they would mobilise their Union to publicise against the government in the forthcoming by-elections for the four assembly seats in the state. Their main demands were regularisation of about 800 contractual employees and hiring of 3,500 outsourced employees on contract, they added.

Passengers faced the brunt as a large number of them could be seen sitting and standing at the ISBT waiting for the bus operations to resume. It was only in the afternoon that the state run buses resumed.

Loss of government run buses was a gain for private buses which recorded high footfall. Eyewitnesses at the Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra ISBT said private buses earned a moolah as even women passengers queued up outside their buses. Passengers were vying with one another to secure a seat in these buses.

Passengers have been preferring government buses over private ones since the introduction of free travel for women passengers.