...commuters left high and dry

...commuters left high and dry
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, April 28

The hourlong jam outside the bus stand here left hundreds of commuters in the lurch, that too in the scorching heat at around noon.
To build pressure on the government for the fulfillment of their demands, the PSSF employees blocked the main gate of the bus stand and disrupted the traffic movement there, apparently ignoring the inconvenience caused to the common people. Not only the commuters but also the bus staff were observed annoyed over the chaos.
Ironically, the police preferred to be a mute spectator and remained indifferent to the plight of women and children who were stuck in the buses in the sweltering heat.
Of late, it has become a regular practice in Bathinda that whenever anyone has a grudge against the government, they find this tactic to be the most suited for them to raise their issues. But in doing so, they always forget about the hardships caused to the others.
"I have paid the bus fair and got the ticket for Patiala where I had to attend a meeting. Now it has been over half-an-hour but I am sitting in the bus helplessly as there is no way I can reach my destination."
"If the cops here are unable to solve the problem, do give us a free hand and we can tackle such nuisance," said Sukhjinder Singh, an irked conductor of a private bus company.
A driver Pritam Singh, frustrated over the jam, said, "Protesters have 'fun' as there is no check on them. But nobody is bothered about our route and timings which have been been affected due to them."Gurpreet Singh, an adda-fee contractor said, "On an average, if the gate is blocked for an hour, we suffer loss of around Rs 1,500. Our haplessness is that as per the contract terms, we have to deposit Rs 14,420 with the PRTC authorities every day, irrespective of the condition."
When asked about the public inconvenience, Kotwali station house officer Harmeek Singh Deol expressed his inability in taking any action.
Commuters stranded in the buses were seen terming the problem as the fallout of Bathinda having become a hot seat courtesy the poll battle between the Badals and Capt Amarinder Singh.