Bus Owners Take Up Brooms to Clean Mansa Bus Stand Amid Sanitation Workers' Strike

With sanitation workers on strike across Punjab, bus owners in Mansa took the unusual step of cleaning the local bus stand themselves after garbage accumulated across the premises and no immediate solution was available. Armed with brooms, the bus operators removed heaps of waste from the bus stand. Since the dustbins at the terminal were already overflowing, the collected garbage was disposed of at a location away from the bus stand instead of being placed in the filled bins. District Bus Operators' Union President Amarjit Singh and Mini Bus Operators' Union President Rajinder Singh said that the sanitation conditions at the bus stand have deteriorated significantly. They also pointed out that passengers are facing inadequate drinking water facilities. In addition, electricity supply to the bus stand has been disconnected, leaving ceiling fans non-functional despite the intense summer heat. They further stated that the lighting system at the bus stand is also in poor condition and alleged that the authorities have failed to address these issues. The union leaders said that, in view of these problems, representatives of the Private Bus Operators' Union, along with officials of PRTC Budhlada, Barnala and Bathinda, have decided to discontinue the issuance of bus stand entry slips in the coming days. They maintained that there is little purpose in continuing the system when basic facilities for passengers are unavailable. According to the bus operators, they will continue cleaning the bus stand themselves as a mark of protest until proper sanitation arrangements are restored. They said the decision has been taken to ensure that passengers do not face inconvenience while using the bus terminal.