BATHINDA/LUDHIANA, Aug. 5 -- Punjab Roadways and PRTC contractual workers called off their strike on Tuesday evening after the state government agreed to address their demands at a meeting with employee representatives. The strike, which began on August 3 and was scheduled to continue till August 5, disrupted bus services across the state for the second consecutive day, causing inconvenience to passengers. The unions suspended agitation after the government agreed to provide written assurances on their demands. PRTC frontline union leader Kuldeep Singh Manes claimed that only 74 of the 226 buses in the Bathinda depot were operational till noon on Tuesday. "The three-day strike received a good response across all districts for two consecutive days. We decided to suspend the strike after the government agreed to our demands," Manes said. The unions are demanding regularisation of the state roadways staff, abolition of the outsourcing system and withdrawal of police cases registered against union members from the Sangrur depot following the violence during the Kilometre Scheme protest in November last year. PRTC employees' union vice-president Sukhwinder Singh said that the agitation has only been suspended and not withdrawn. He said the meeting with the board of directors is scheduled for August 11, followed by another meeting with the transport minister on August 14 to review the progress on assurances. HTC...