SKM bandh call: Many buses remain off the road in Punjab, leaving commuters stranded

across response to the Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s call for a “Bharat Bandh” to pressure the government to adopt farmers’ demands, including a legal guarantee of MSP, several buses remained off the roads on Friday, causing disruption for commuters across Punjab.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) is calling for a bandh, and Punjab Roadways, Punbus, and PRTC Contract Workers’ Union are supporting the request.

Under the SKM’s banner, farmers will also organize protests throughout the day in various locations around Punjab.

Several farmer organizations are participating in the bandh, including Kirti Kisan Union, Bharatiya Kisan Union, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Dakunda), Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal), and Bharti Kisan Union (Rajewal).

At several bus stops, passengers could be seen waiting for buses to take them to their destinations. The lack of transportation caused annoyance mostly to office workers and students.

A college student at the Patiala bus terminal said that he was unable to locate a bus to Landran Road.

An official said that he needed to go to Mohali for business, but there was not a transport available.

A lady who had to go to Jalandhar at the Amritsar bus terminal said that she had been waiting for a bus for more than thirty minutes.

All like-minded organizations have been urged to endorse the SKM’s bandh request.

Numerous groups and employee bodies have endorsed the bandh.

In addition to a legal guarantee of MSP, the farmers are demanding the following: the reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, pensions for farmers and farm laborers, waivers of farm debt, police cases against them being dropped, “justice” for the victims of the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri in 2021, pensions for farmers and farm laborers, and compensation for the families of farmers who lost their lives during an earlier agitation in 2020–21.