Ludhiana, Dec. 30 -- Commuters at the Ludhiana ISBT faced prolonged delays on Monday after the state government diverted 23 Punjab Roadways and PRTC buses from city depots to ferry workers for a state-level event in Gurdaspur, officials said. The diversion further strained an already thin bus fleet, leaving office-goers and inter-district travellers struggling on a busy workday.

Muskan Verma, travelling to Jalandhar for a job interview, said, "I kept waiting for a government-run bus for more than an hour, but there was no bus in sight and no proper announcement. I cannot miss my interview, so I will now have to take a private bus and spend extra money. This is unfair for people who rely on government buses for economical travel."

Ashok ...