Punjab: Public transport staff strike leaves passengers stranded

Contractual employees of the Punjab Roadways and the Pepsu Road Transportation Corporation went on strike on Tuesday to press for their demands, including an increase in salaries.

The strike left many passengers stranded at bus stands in Sangrur, Ludhiana and Patiala. Gurvinder Singh, secretary of the Punjab Roadways, Punbus, PRTC Contract Workers Union, said they are staging demonstrations at all 27 bus stands in the state.

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The contractual employees are seeking from the state government, among others, a 5 per cent hike in their annual salaries. Singh said the hike was promised by the state government but not implemented. Waving black flags, the protesting employees raised slogans against the government and threatened to intensify their protest if their demands are not met. The strike inconvenienced many passengers, several of whom were unaware of the strike call.

A passenger at the Sangrur stand said he waited for a state-owned bus for 25 minutes but “not even a single bus arrived”. A woman passenger in Ludhiana said she was waiting for a bus to Jalandhar but did not get one.

(With agency inputs)