Chandigarh, March 9 — Commuters in Punjab may face major disruptions from April 7 to 9 as the Punjab Roadways Punbus/PRTC Contract Workers Union has warned of a complete halt in bus services if their demands are not addressed within a month. The union has also planned a series of protests, starting March 13, to press the government into action.
The decision was taken during an emergency meeting of the union, where leaders expressed frustration over the government’s inaction.
Union officials stated that while they did not want to inconvenience the public, the lack of response from authorities had left them with no choice. The strike would impact 577 routes across the state, affecting operations of Punjab Roadways and PRTC, which currently runs a fleet of over 1,200 buses, with 400 new buses expected to join soon.
Despite multiple discussions, including a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, no resolution has been reached.
Union President Resham Singh, along with senior leaders Harkesh Kumar Vicky and Gurpreet Singh Pannu, said that the Chief Minister had assured them on July 1, 2024, that their demands would be met within a month.
However, even after eight months, no concrete steps have been taken.
A committee was formed to address the issue, and Punjab Transport Minister assured that contract employees would be regularized under a new policy. The union also provided the government with documents detailing how neighboring states had implemented similar policies. Despite these efforts, the government has yet to take decisive action.
Following an earlier strike, the Punjab Transport Minister and Advocate General had met, with the Advocate General assuring that a policy would be formulated and passed in a cabinet meeting. However, union leaders claim that no progress has been made, and department officials have failed to communicate any updates. They also accused the administration of deliberately stalling the process and ignoring the Chief Minister’s directives, fueling anger among transport workers.
The union has outlined a phased protest plan, beginning March 13 with gate rallies at all depots.
A demonstration will be held outside the PRTC headquarters in Patiala on March 19, followed by a protest at the Chandigarh headquarters on March 26. By April 3, bus stands across Punjab will shut down as part of the agitation.
If the government does not respond by then, a complete strike will be enforced from April 7 to 9, bringing government-run bus services across Punjab to a standstill.