Talks between striking contractual employees of Punbus and the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) and minister Harpal Singh Cheema and transport secretary Varun Roojam remained inconclusive in Chandigarh on Wednesday, with unions refusing to call off their indefinite strike until their demands are met.
Around 40% of Punjab Roadways’ fleet of nearly 600 buses remained off the roads, while PRTC’s 1,800 buses stayed off the roads.
Only regular employees continued operating select services according to their duty rosters.
Protests were held at bus stands in Bathinda and adjoining districts, as well as at district headquarters across Punjab. Union leaders are planning demonstrations outside the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and an indefinite dharna near the chief minister’s official residence if the deadlock continues. Following the minister’s directions, the Punjab State Bus Stand Management Company Limited (PUNBUS) has decided to convene a high-level review meeting on October 29 under Cheema’s chairmanship. He accused the government of failing to honour its earlier assurance to issue a notification addressing the employees’ demands by October 15. “The transport minister had given us time until October 15 to issue the notification, but the government failed to do so. Now, we have been given another date, October 29.
Cheema directed the transport department to take immediate, result-oriented action on the legitimate demands of PUNBUS workers, prompting the department to initiate the redressal process, according to a government release issued later in the day. PRTC Union president Resham Singh Gill said the strike would continue until the government fulfilled its commitments. We will call off the strike only when our demands are met,” Gill said.
