Punjab Bandh disrupts road, rail services in Sirsa

The Punjab Bandh called by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha in support of the ongoing farmers' protest had a major impact on road and rail services in Sirsa on Monday. The bandh, which lasted from 7 am to 4 pm, led to widespread disruption in travel, particularly between Haryana and Punjab. As a result of the bandh, several trains and buses that usually run between Sirsa and Punjab were delayed, cancelled, or rerouted.

At the Sirsa railway station, the Rewari-Fazilka train was stopped, leaving passengers stranded. Travellers who had bought tickets for the full journey to Fazilka were forced to deal with the inconvenience of not being informed about the halt at Sirsa. Some passengers expressed frustration, saying that if the train was only going to Sirsa, tickets should have been issued for that route, rather than to the final destination.

In addition to the train disruption, the Punjab Roadways buses also faced significant delays.

Over 40 buses from various Punjab districts, including Mansa, Bathinda, Barnala, and Fazilka, failed to reach Sirsa. Several buses were stopped at the Haryana-Punjab border and sent back, causing further delays and confusion for travellers. The buses that did manage to run were limited to the border area and the passengers had to make alternative arrangements to reach their destinations.

Some bus services operated from Sirsa Depot, but only a limited number of buses reached as far as Sardulgarh. The passengers travelling to other districts faced delays and had to rely on buses going to nearby areas like Dabwali. The Punjab Roadways staff worked hard to ensure that some services were restored later in the afternoon, but by then, only a few buses were running.

The passengers shared their frustration.

Rajpal, a traveller heading to Muktsar, boarded the Rewari-Fazilka train but was forced to stop at Sirsa. His ticket was issued for the full journey, and now he was being asked to go through several offices to get a refund for the unused portion of his ticket. Similarly, Kavita Rani, who was travelling to Kilianwali, also faced problems when the train she was on stopped at Sirsa without prior notice.

She said she had received no information about the halt. Ratanlal, the bus stand supervisor at the Sirsa Depot, confirmed that many buses from Punjab were either cancelled or returned at the border. Some buses from Sirsa were able to go as far as Sardulgarh, but the passengers travelling to other areas had to make do with buses to Dabwali.

Despite the challenges, the situation began to improve after 4 pm, with a few buses resuming service.