Punjab bus services to suspend operations in support of farmers' bandh call

PATIALA: In support of the farmers' Bandh call, bus services in Punjab will remain suspended on Monday. While the PRTC bus services will be shut for four hours, from 10 AM to 2 PM, following the announcement by the PRTC Punbus Employee Union to support the ongoing farmer agitation, the private bus operators have announced their full support, thus declaring the suspension of services across the state from 7 AM to 4 PM on Monday.
Earlier in February this year, the bus services of Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) and Punbus, along with the private bus operators in Punjab, announced they would not run their buses in support of the Gramin Bharat Bandh call given by farmer unions, including Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM).
There are around 3,000 buses under PRTC and Punbus collectively in the state, whereas in the private sector, there are around 6,000 buses in Punjab, including minibuses.
Harkesh Kumar Vicky, a PRTC Punbus contractual employee union leader, said they supported the strike call given by the farmer unions as the farmers, under two forums including SKM (Non Political) and KMM, have been sitting at the interstate border points of Punjab and Haryana for many months over their demands, including MSP for crops. He said the govt buses would ply before 10 AM and after 2 PM on the roads if these remained clear.
Baltej Singh, Bathinda coordinator of Malwa Zone Private Bus Operators,