No end to commuter woes as Punjab, Haryana buses stay off roads

There was no end to commuter woes on the second day of the nationwide strikes on Thursday as buses of the Punjab and Haryana Roadways stayed off the roads. The only relief came from the local CTU ( Chandigarh Transport Undertaking) buses that were operational.

Workers of the Punjab Roadways Employee Union went on a 24- hour strike to demand a revision in their salaries while the Haryana Roadways Workers' Union observed a protest demanding a Rs 10 lakh compensation for the family of Narinder Singh, a driver with transport body, who died during the strike on Wednesday.

The travellers, particularly those who had to travel to places in Haryana and Punjab were the worst affected . There was also confusion among travellers who saw a few buses move to Delhi and Kurukshetra.

"It's been 2 hours that we are waiting for the bus to Kaithal but no bus has arrived till now. The buses to Delhi and Kurukshetra are going but none to Kaithal. We are being made to suffer for no fault of ours," said Sheela, a resident of Panchkula.

Another passenger Kuldeep Kumar informed: "I had to reach Barwala for urgent work but now I think I will have to go back to our paying guest in Sector 52."

The Haryana Roadways' workers continued their protest in Phase 1 of the Industrial Area in Chandigarh till their demands were agreed to by the Haryana government in the evening. "We were demanding Rs 10 lakh compensation for the aggrieved family of Narinder Singh and the government has agreed to our demand and has promised a government job for his daughter- in- law. We have now decided to end our protest and resume the bus service," said Balbir Jakhar, president of the Haryana Roadways Workers' Union.

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