CHANDIGARH: With 14 months left for the assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab is grappling with a wave of public anger across the state, from employees and lawyers to farmers.

Bus services in parts of the state remained affected on Saturday as employees of Punjab Roadways, Punjab State Bus Stand Management Company Limited (PUNBUS) and Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) continued their protest for the second day. The state transport department issued notices asking them to call off the strike and return to work, warning that their services would be terminated if they failed to comply.

A senior official said employees have been instructed to end the strike and resume work as notices have been served. “If they do not return, we will have no option but to terminate their services, as these are contractual and outsourced employees. They cannot be suspended and can only be terminated,” the official said.

Sandeep Singh, senior vice-president of the PUNBUS Contract Workers Union in Hoshiarpur, alleged that four of their leaders, state committee member Kulwant Singh, district president Raminder Singh, secretary Narinder Singh and cashier Dharminder Singh, were still detained. “Until they are released, the kilometre-scheme tenders are cancelled, and contractual workers are regularised, our dharna and strike will continue,” he said.

He further claimed, “In the last four years, the government has not provided even a single new bus to Punjab Roadways. Over 500 old buses have gone off the road, and those still running face major repair issues. The department does not have funds even for tyres and essential repairs.”

Employees began the strike yesterday against the opening of tenders related to the kilometre-based bus scheme, which they say is “a backdoor attempt to bring in private buses and dismantle the state-run transport system, enabling private operators to run buses on government-notified routes.”