Chandigarh, Nov 28: Contractual employees of Punjab Roadways and PRTC went on strike Friday, leaving passengers stranded across the state, after police detained multiple union leaders in overnight raids.
The protest was triggered by the scheduled opening of tenders under the Kilometre Scheme, a policy the union has long opposed for allegedly favouring private operators at the expense of government-run transport.
Darshan Pal of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha criticised the detentions. “The government recently marked the martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur, a champion of human rights. And now, it is detaining union leaders. This is shameful,” he said, appealing for solidarity from farmer and trade unions.
Commuters faced severe inconvenience as most government buses were non-operational. “Buses were diverted earlier for the martyrdom day, and now with the strike, travelling is chaotic. People are boarding any bus they find,” said travellers Pardeep Dhingra and Gurpreet Singh.
The union claims the Kilometre Scheme undermines state-run transport and promotes corruption, potentially increasing unemployment and travel costs while reducing government jobs.
Union members blocked the main entrance of Patiala bus terminus, chanting slogans against the police, signalling their continued resistance against the policy.
