Chandigarh, March 11 -- The Punjab and Haryana high court has said that PUNBUS and Punjab Roadways cannot be regarded as wholly independent or unrelated establishments.

"On the contrary, the petitioners and their regular counterparts in Punjab Roadways perform the same functions within a state-controlled public transport framework, under similar operational conditions and supervisory oversight. The distinction between the two entities, therefore, appears to be one of nomenclature, rather than reflecting any genuine functional separation," the bench of justice HS Brar said.

The court was dealing with a clutch of petitions from drivers and conductors seeking directions to grant the petitioners the benefit of a minimum of regular pay scale...