Chandigarh: Bus services across Punjab faced severe disruptions on Thursday after the PRTC PUNBUS 25/11 Contract Workers Union launched a complete strike, leaving thousands of commuters stranded. Around 1,200 contract employees participated in the protest, shutting down operations completely at nine major Pepsu Road Transport Corporation depots, including Barnala, Budhlada, Sangrur, Patiala, Ludhiana, Faridkot, Chandigarh, Kapurthala, and Bathinda.
The primary trigger for the widespread agitation is the abrupt dismissal of Gurwinder Singh; a conductor attached to the Chandigarh depot. The management terminated his services over allegations of tampering with station slips and issuing counterfeit tickets. However, the union leaders claimed that the employee was dismissed arbitrarily without a fair or transparent inquiry, characterizing the management’s swift action as targeted harassment. The union is demanding an immediate and unbiased investigation into the matter, insisting that any disciplinary action should only follow after guilt is formalised through a proper probe.
Union leaders, including the Barnala unit president, warned that the agitation would intensify if the Punjab government and PRTC management fail to reinstate the dismissed worker quickly. They stated that while only PRTC buses are currently off the roads, members of the Punjab Roadways union are prepared to join the protest and block highways if their demands remain unaddressed. Meanwhile, as transport chaos gripped the state, the meteorological department predicted hot and humid conditions alongside light to moderate rainfall across several districts, including Ferozepur, Bathinda, Amritsar, and Hoshiarpur, compounding the misery for stranded passengers.
