Ludhiana, Sept. 12 -- Despite holding permits for nearly 150 routes and paying regular taxes for all of them, the Ludhiana depot of Punjab Roadways is struggling to maintain operations on several prominent destinations, officials familiar with the matter said.

The situation, described as a "double whammy," where on one side the department is obligated to pay staggering taxes while unable to run buses on many of the same routes meant to generate revenue, pushing the depot into monthly losses exceeding Rs.6 lakh.

Explaining the situation, officials noted that the mismatch between the number of buses and the number of routes is at the heart of the crisis. While the depot holds licences for nearly 150 routes connecting popular destinations ...