Ludhiana: Roadways conductor ‘thrashed' by pvt operators; union halts buses

Hundreds of passengers were left stranded at the Ludhiana interstate bus stand on Saturday after contractual workers of the Punjab Roadways abruptly halted bus services for nearly an hour from 2.30 pm to 3.30 pm. The shutdown was prompted in protest against police 'inaction' over an alleged assault on a Roadways conductor — Surendra Kumar — by private bus staff on the bus stand premises. Passengers stranded at Ludhiana bus stand after contractual workers halted the buses during a protest in Ludhiana on Saturday. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)
The workers stalled the movement of all buses to and from the terminal during the protest. The sudden disruption triggered traffic chaos outside the bus stand as several buses got stuck in a haphazard manner at the terminal and on adjoining roads, hampering the regular flow of traffic.
Shamsher Singh Dhillon, state general secretary of the Punjab Roadways, Punbus and PRTC Contractual Workers' Union, said, 'On Friday night, some private bus staff heading to Delhi assaulted Punjab Roadways conductor Surendra Kumar who was on duty in a Ferozepur depot bus going to Chandigarh.'
'When the bus halted at Ludhiana bus stand at around 9.30 pm, a migrant family, unfamiliar with the city, asked conductor Surendra Kumar for help in boarding a bus as they had to go to Bareilly. While he was assisting them, staff of a private bus tried to forcefully take the family into their Delhi-bound bus. When Kumar resisted, they misbehaved with him and then brutally assaulted him,' he said.
A written complaint was submitted to the police station at the bus stand, but the authorities failed to take timely action, Dhillon said, adding that the bus operations were halted at around 2.30 pm on Saturday.
Subhash Chandra, in-charge of the bus stand police post, said, 'We received a formal complaint and have summoned both parties. The matter has now been resolved mutually.'
When contacted, Navraj Batish, general manager of Punjab Roadways, stated, 'The shutdown took place without any prior notice, despite the police already investigating the issue. Such sudden disruptions cause heavy losses to the government. Whoever is responsible must bear the consequences.'
The protest caught daily commuters off guard, leaving many stranded without any alternatives. Shanvi Verma, a CA aspirant from Jagraon, said, 'I travel to Ludhiana daily for my coaching classes. When I reached the bus stand after finishing my classes, I found out that the buses were not operating. I feel stuck with no transport in sight.'
Echoing similar sentiments, Harjinder Gill, a commuter heading to Bathinda, said, 'My uncle is hospitalised and I had taken a half-day leave to visit him. My family is alone there. It is absurd that common people like us are forced to bear such inconveniences without any fault.'

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