Patiala, Aug. 17 -- Chaos continued to prevail at various bus terminals across Punjab on Saturday as the strike by 8,000 contractual employees of the state transport undertakings (STUs) - Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) and Punjab Roadways - entered its third day.

However, the deadlock ended late in the evening after the government gave firm assurances to the agitating workers that their demands will be met. Following this, bus services are set to resume from August 17 (Sunday), bringing relief to thousands of commuters after three days of severe hardship.

Functioning of as many as 27 depots had been in disarray since August 14. On Saturday, nearly 70% of the 3,200 STU buses remained off the road, leaving passengers stranded. In...