Ludhiana, Feb. 6 -- Passengers were once again left stranded at the Ludhiana Interstate Bus Terminus on Thursday after the state government diverted 105 Punjab Roadways and PRTC buses from regular services to ferry people to a state-level event at Khuralgarh Sahib in Hoshiarpur, scheduled for February 6, officials familiar with the matter said.

Notably, this is the fifth such redeployment of buses reported within a month, occurring at a time when the government-run bus fleet in Ludhiana is already struggling to cope with heavy commuter footfall. Officials, wishing not to be named, pointed out that repeated withdrawals of buses for political and official events have begun to severely disrupt routine public transport services, particularly...