PRIVATE BUS OPERATORS IN PUNJAB CALL OFF STRIKE

Chandigarh : Private bus operators in Punjab today withdrew their strike which they had called over the alleged “haste” shown by state police in registering cases against their drivers and conductors, following an assurance by police that nobody would be arrested without proper probe.The private bus operators had gone on a statewide strike today, hitting transport services in the state, alleging that police were registering cases against private bus drivers and conductors on the basis of “fake” complaints.They observed the strike a day after a case was registered against a private bus conductor on a complaint filed by two minor sisters who alleged that they were harassed by the conductor in Muktsar district.“As many as 4,500 buses were off the roads today in the state. We were protesting against false cases being registered by police against our drivers and conductors even without proper investigation,” Punjab Motor Union (an organisation of private buses) General Secretary Rajinder Singh Bajwa said.“As a result of which, there is a strong resentment among our staff and private bus owners. That is why we went on strike,” Bajwa said.Bus drivers and conductors of private buses 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 snarls.With about 4,500 private buses remaining off the roads across the state, commuters had harrowing time as they faced problems in reach their destinations.