Heavily dependent on private transport, commuters in Punjab faced difficulties on Saturday after private bus operators went on a strike, protesting the “haste” shown by the police in registering cases against bus crews.
The strike was called off in the evening after senior police officers assured the operators that cases would not be registered without proper probe.
Over 4,500 private buses went off the roads on Saturday following the strike call given by the Punjab Motor Union. “We lodged our protest against false cases being registered by police against our drivers and conductors without proper investigation,” said the union’s general secretary Rajinder Singh Bajwa.
He said due to this there is strong resentment among our staff and private bus owners. However, State-owned Punjab Roadways and PRTC plied their buses as usual.
Bus drivers and conductors of private operators held protests at various places including Muktsar, Bathinda, Faridkot, Amritsar, Patiala, Rajpura, Khanna, Jalandhar in the State and blocked roads leading to bus stands, causing traffic jam.
“We want assurance from the State Government that proper investigation be done into complaints relating to harassment or molestation before registering a case against a bus conductor or driver,” said Hardeep Singh Dhillon, owner of New Deep bus service. “If the complaint is found genuine then arrest should also be made. But nobody should be arrested or booked on the basis of false complaints,” he demanded.
Bus owners were also protesting against the damage to their vehicles by protesters on the roads, alleging that police had failed to prevent such incidents. “We want protection for our buses in the State as it is not safe now to ply buses,” Bajwa claimed.
The conductor of a private bus was booked this week in Muktsar after two sisters alleged that he harassed them and misbehaved with them.
In another case, the driver and conductor of a private bus was booked and arrested recently after a young woman was harassed by a fellow passenger near Sirhind town. She complained that the bus staff refused to help her.
These incidents happened after the infamous Moga incident which led to major protests against the Punjab Government. Most private buses and their companies are owned by politicians in Punjab.