After two days of disruption that left commuters struggling in scorching weather, the statewide strike by contractual employees of Punjab Roadways and PUNBUS was withdrawn on Wednesday evening following a breakthrough in talks with the Punjab government.Members of Punjab Roadways, PUNBUS and PRTC Contract Workers Union, stage a protest demanding cancellation of the private kilometre scheme being implemented in the transport department, regularisation of contractual employees and immediate release of workers allegedly jailed during the course of the agitation, in Amritsar on Wednesday. (PTI)Before the agitation was called off, nearly 60% of Punjab Roadways and PUNBUS services remained affected, forcing passengers to endure long waits, overcrowded buses and expensive private transport options.The strike, called by the Punjab Roadways, PUNBUS and PRTC Contract Workers Union, had raised worries of a complete shutdown of government bus services after PRTC employees were expected to join the agitation.However, the proposed expansion of the strike was put on hold after a panel meeting between union representatives, senior transport department officials, including the principal secretary, transport; director state transport and other officials, and subsequent assurances from the Punjab government led by transport minister Harpal Singh Cheema.Earlier in the day, commuters faced significant inconvenience at bus stands across Punjab.“I waited for more than an hour for a bus in this heat. Many services were either delayed or unavailable and private operators were charging higher fares,” said Rajesh Kumar, a commuter travelling from Ludhiana to Jalandhar.Harpreet Kaur, a college student, said passengers were forced to travel in overcrowded buses. “People were standing near doors and in aisles. Travelling in such conditions during this heatwave was extremely difficult,” she said.Another commuter, Gurmeet Singh, said many passengers had no option but to spend extra money on private vehicles. “People travelling for work, medical appointments and other urgent reasons suffered the most,” he said.Punjab Roadways general manager Nawraj Batish said efforts were made to keep essential services operational despite the agitation. “We tried to minimise inconvenience to passengers and maintain operations wherever possible. Services are expected to normalise following the resolution of the issue,” he said.Several key demands met: Employee unionUnion leaders said the government agreed to several key demands in writing, prompting the decision to postpone the strike and ongoing protest programmes.Gurpreet Singh Braich, vice-president of the PRTC Contract Workers Union, said the government assured employees that action would be initiated to withdraw cases against workers who were arrested during previous protests and that the matter would be forwarded to the home department within three days.He said the government also agreed to expedite the process of regularising contractual employees against vacant posts under existing service rules. Significantly, outsourced workers with three years of service would also be considered for contractual status, compared to the earlier condition that largely favoured workers with longer service periods.Further, the government agreed to add more state-owned buses to the fleet on priority, with new buses expected to start arriving within the next month.“The government has given written assurances on major demands and has taken responsibility for implementing them. We have therefore decided to postpone the strike and resume services immediately. However, if there is any breach of the commitments, the union will revive the agitation,” Braich said.