The ‘Punjab Bandh’ called by the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha affected normal life in Jalandhar on Friday, with public transport, markets and traffic movement disrupted at several locations across the city.
The bandh was called to demand the release of Sikh prisoners and its impact was visible in different parts of Jalandhar, where markets remained shut and commuters faced difficulties in finding buses and reaching their destinations.
One of the areas affected was Rainak Bazar, located opposite Bhagwan Valmiki Chowk, also known as Jyoti Chowk, the market remained completely shut during the bandh. Shops in the area were closed, affecting normal commercial activity.
Public transport was also affected.
At the Jalandhar bus stand, several passengers were unable to find buses for their destinations and some commuters were seen changing their travel plans and heading towards the railway station instead.
Trains became an alternative for people who needed to travel between cities.
One passenger who had travelled from Khanna to reach Pathankot said he came to know about the shutdown only after reaching the Jalandhar bus stand and after being unable to find a bus, he went to the railway station and bought a ticket for the 11 AM train.
Traffic movement was affected at several key points in the city. Members of the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha staged a sit-in at Guru Nanak Mission Chowk, resulting in an impact on traffic movement in the area, meanwhile, movement towards Maksudan was also affected during the bandh, police personnel placed barricades at Rama Mandi and stopped vehicle movement on the highway.
The bandh also saw people from the Sikh community and supporters of the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha taking to the streets on scooters and motorcycles and they moved through different parts of the city while raising slogans against the government.
The disruption meant that people travelling by road had to make changes to their plans and those unable to find buses or facing road restrictions were among those who turned to trains as an alternative.
- Rainak Bazar: Shops remained completely shut.
- Jalandhar bus stand: Bus availability was affected, inconveniencing commuters.
- Guru Nanak Mission Chowk: A sit-in by Qaumi Insaaf Morcha members affected traffic movement.
- Maksudan: Traffic movement was affected.
- Rama Mandi: Police barricades were placed and vehicle movement on the highway was stopped.
- Railway station: Some commuters shifted to trains after being unable to find buses.
The situation highlighted the direct impact of the bandh on everyday commuters, shoppers and people travelling through Jalandhar and with markets closed, buses affected and traffic movement restricted at several points, residents had to adjust their plans during the shutdown.
