Ludhiana passengers suffer as government buses sent to ferry attendees at AAP event
The massive mobilisation, directed by the state’s transport department, resulted in disruptions to approximately 60% bus services at the Ludhiana bus stan
In a move that significantly impacted daily bus services, Punjab Roadways and PRTC deployed a total of 815 buses from across the state to facilitate attendees at Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) political rally in Dhuri.
The massive mobilisation, directed by the state’s transport department, resulted in disruptions to approximately 60% bus services at the Ludhiana bus stand.
As part of the deployment, 80 buses from Punjab Roadways and 70 buses from PRTC, all originating from Ludhiana, were dispatched for the political event, which saw the participation of chief minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, drawing a considerable crowd.
The transport department issued directions to all Punjab Roadways and PRTC depots across the state, mandating the provision of buses for the Dhuri rally. Of Ludhiana’s total 225 buses, 150 were allocated to various constituencies to transport AAP leaders to the event. The extensive deployment also affected other depots, with 10 buses from Amloh, Bassi, and Fatehgarh Sahib depots each, 110 from Malerkotla, and 90 from Ludhiana of Punjab Roadway buses.
The move resulted in disruption of approximately 70% of the buses at the Ludhiana bus stand throughout the day. For instance, on Amritsar routes, where there are usually around 150 time slots allocated, only 50 slots were operational due to the bus shortage. Similarly, for Chandigarh, only 75 time slots were assigned to Punjab Roadways and PRTC buses, compared to the regular allocation of 180.
Similarly, PRTC directed various depots to dispatch buses, including 45 from Barnala, 90 from Sangrur, 115 from Bathinda, 110 from Patiala, 35 from Budhala, 70 from Ludhiana, 80 from Chandigarh and 40 from Faridkot.
Passengers at the bus stand were left waiting for hours to board a bus. Sharing her ordeal, Gurmeet Kaur, said, “I waited for around three hours as the government bus for Pathankot was not available. I was forced to take a private bus, which was already overcrowded.”
An official from the bus stand, not wishing to be named, said the absence of adequate buses amounted to a loss of around ₹15 lakh from Ludhiana alone.
Navraj Batish, the general manager at Ludhiana bus stand, meanwhile, reasoned, “We were directed to dispatch around 80 buses to different areas for the Dhuri political rally, and we sent these buses in the morning to the designated areas in the city.”
