Thousands stranded in Chandigarh as Punjab buses go off road

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 13

The ongoing strike by the Punjab Roadways and PRTC Contract Workers’ Union today spelled trouble for thousands of passengers, especially aspirants appearing in a Forest Department examination, as they had hard time heading back to respective destinations.

The buses plied in the morning, but halted thereafter, leaving a large number of aspirants stranded at the ISBT-43 in the afternoon.

Thousands of candidates who reached the ISBT-43 to board a bus back home had nowhere to go as the bus services were crippled by the protesting staff.

Chaos prevailed from 10 am to 5 pm due to the strike. The crowd began to recede late in the evening as people made private arrangements or took alternative bus services.

The situation was more or less the same in most of the bus stands in Mohali district. Passengers in Kharar, Kurali, Mohali and Dera Bassi were inconvenienced.

Ropar resident Baldev Sirsa said: “I boarded a bus in the morning from Ropar and reached Chandigarh for a personal work. When I reached the ISBT-43 around 3 pm, there was a sea of passengers there. It took time to figure out what was happening and I finally learnt the protesting contract staff had stopped plying buses after 10 am. It is sheer harassment as the Transport Department has been caught napping.”

The protesting employees are demanding reinstatement of a suspended conductor of Batala depot. He was suspended by the State Transport Authority (STA) on November 9. They alleged STA officials were harassing contract staff on one pretext or the other.

Harshdeep Ahuja, a Kurali resident who had come to Chandigarh for the Forest Department exam, said: “It is unfortunate the employees chose this day (exam day) to halt buses.”

Traffic norms went for a toss as students climbed to rooftops of private buses headed towards Punjab even as police personnel stood as mute spectators. Elderly women, girls and passengers with toddlers were seen scuttling in search of a bus.

Many passengers took contract carriage buses or taxis at exorbitant rates to head home.

CTU runs 20 buses

Chandigarh Transport Undertaking officials claimed they operated around 20 buses on different routes of Punjab to take back those stranded at the ISBT owing to the strike.

Dept caught napping

There was chaos at ISBT-43 as contract staff stopped plying buses after 10 am. It is sheer harassment as Transport Department has been caught napping. — Baldev Sirsa, Ropar resident

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