The banking sector experienced partial disruption due to the participation of clerical staff from public sector banks, Cooperative Banks and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs). Their absence hindered routine banking operations, affecting customers to some extent. In contrast, private banks functioned as usual, and no hindrance was reported in their services.
The strike had a noticeable impact on the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), where contractual workers joined the agitation. While electricity transmission across the city remained uninterrupted, repair and maintenance works were adversely affected due to reduced manpower in the department.
As part of the protest, a joint demonstration was organised outside the PSEB office on Banga Road, Phagwara, by members of the Technical Services Union, Theka Mulazam Union and Pensioners Association, Phagwara. The protest was led by Jasvir Singh, circle president, Technical Services Union, Jalandhar. The demonstrators raised slogans in support of their demands and against the government’s policies.
Similarly, another protest was held at the Town Hall, Phagwara, by the Mid-Day Meal Workers Union and the Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF). The protest was led by Gurmukh Singh, block president, DTF. During the demonstration, protesters also burnt the effigy of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, demanding immediate redress of their long-pending grievances.
Despite the protests and sectoral disruptions, the overall law and order situation in Phagwara during the peak hours of the strike remained peaceful. No untoward incident was reported from any part of the city, and normalcy prevailed throughout the day.
