Ludhiana: Had to wait for long hours to get buses, say travellers

Commuters were left waiting longer than usual at the bus stand here in the chilling cold as many buses of the PRTC and Punjab Roadways were sent to chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s event here on Wednesday.

Around 23 buses, eight from the Roadways’ fleet and 15 from the PRTC at Ludhiana depot, were sent to the event, according to union leaders. People from across the state were ferried to the event on these buses. “I have been sitting here for almost an hour. I am waiting for a PRTC or Roadways bus, as they have no fare for women. I am going to Amritsar,” said Sanjeet Kaur, as she waited at the Ludhiana bus stand.

The bus stand was teeming with waiting passengers, a sight not available on regular days when the bus traffic runs smoothly. Most of the waiting passengers included women who are entitled to free travel on the government-run buses.

“We are going to Bathinda. My wife and daughter can travel free of cost on the government-run buses. So we will wait till one arrives. So far, we have only found private buses to Bathinda,” said Rajinder Kumar.

Jagtar Singh, joint secretary, Punjab Roadways, Punbus and PRTC Contractual Workers’ Union, said many buses from Ludhiana and neighbouring depots were sent to ferry people to the event. “So that affects the normal bus traffic. Buses from other depots are roped in to cover all routes, but with fewer buses, the frequency is affected and people have to wait much longer for the next bus,” he said.

Ludhiana has been experiencing cold days since Wednesday. The maximum temperature on Wednesday was 12 degrees Celsius, which was 5.1°C below the normal for the day. The IMD defines a cold day as one with a minimum temperature of 10°C or below and a maximum temperature 4.5°C to 6.4°C below normal.

While the passengers complained about prolonged waiting for buses, the officials denied that any buses were being sent on event duty.

When contacted, Navraj Batish, general manager, Punjab Roadways, maintained that the local depot didn’t send buses on Thursday. “We had sent 7-8 buses to an event in Jalandhar yesterday,” he said.