Chandigarh, Nov 28: Commuters across Punjab were left stranded Friday as contractual employees of Punjab Roadways and the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) went on strike following the detention of several union leaders late Thursday night and early Friday morning.
The union had planned to protest the opening of tenders under the controversial Kilometre Scheme, which was scheduled for Friday, just hours after police picked up their leaders.
Darshan Pal, leader of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), condemned the overnight detentions. “The government celebrated the martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur just four days ago. He stood for human rights and opposed oppression. And now, union leaders are being forcibly detained. This is shameful,” he said, urging farmers, trade unions, and democratic organisations to support the workers.
The strike forced commuters to turn to private buses as daily routes between Patiala, Mohali, Chandigarh, and Zirakpur were disrupted. “Earlier, buses were diverted to Anandpur Sahib for the martyrdom day event, and today most are not operational due to the strike. Passengers are forced to board any bus they can find,” said Dinesh Verma, one of the affected travellers.
Union members allege that the Kilometre Scheme encourages corruption by allowing private operators to run government-notified routes. They called it a “backdoor attempt” to weaken state-run transport, warning it could lead to job losses, higher travel costs, and increased unemployment.
At Patiala bus terminus, union members blocked the main gate and raised slogans against the police, further intensifying the disruption.
