Chandigarh: Public transport services across Punjab are set to be disrupted on February 11 after the Punjab Roadways, PUNBUS and PRTC Contract Workers’ Union announced a complete statewide strike, protesting against the state government over long-pending demands.
The union said nearly 7,200 government-run buses operated by PUNBUS and the Punjab Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) will remain off the roads throughout the day. It warned that if the government fails to respond even after the strike, the agitation will be intensified with a protest outside chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s residence in Sangrur on February 12.
Addressing a gate rally at the Ludhiana depot, union general secretary Praveen Kumar said contract employees have been demanding regularisation of their services for several years but have received only assurances so far. He also criticised the government’s ‘kilometre scheme’, under which bus operations are outsourced to private corporate operators, calling it anti-worker and against public interest.
“The government’s delaying tactics have left us with no option but to escalate the agitation,” Kumar said, adding that workers are prepared for a prolonged struggle if their demands continue to be ignored.
The union has appealed to commuters to make alternative travel arrangements in view of the strike to avoid inconvenience.
