BEST strike leaves only 32 buses on Mumbai roads during Friday peak
A strike by BEST employees left only 32 buses on Mumbai roads on Friday morning. The disruption hit lakhs of commuters and set up a legal and political confrontation.
Only 32 of BEST's 2,766 buses were running on Mumbai's roads during the morning peak hours on Friday after employees began an indefinite strike over long-pending demands, a spokesperson of the civic undertaking said. The strike, which started after midnight on Thursday, disrupted travel for thousands of commuters across the city.
According to the official, 38 buses had left various depots, but six were forced to return after incidents of stone-pelting and obstruction by striking employees, leaving 32 buses in operation. Long queues were seen at bus stops, and many passengers turned to suburban trains, Metro services, autorickshaws, taxis and app-based cabs, while others reported delays in reaching workplaces and educational institutions.
"During weekdays, I travel to work by public transport, but today I took my bike out as there were no buses on the roads," said Sachin Nalawade, who works as a consultant. BEST Chairman Trushna Vishwasrao told PTI that she had appealed to the striking employees "not to hold the city to ransom and return to work".
The indefinite strike has been called by the BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, a joint action committee of 12 unions. Among the employees' key demands are the merger of BEST's budget with that of the BMC, a one-time settlement of legal dues of retired employees, implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations for the 2016-2026 period, abolition of contractual arrangements in the transport and electricity departments, and absorption of wet-lease bus workers into BEST.
The strike began despite an ad-interim order by an industrial court restraining employees from going on strike and the Maharashtra government's invocation of the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act, which bars disruption of essential services. BEST is Mumbai's second-largest public transport provider after the suburban railway network and carries around 25 lakh passengers daily through its bus services. It also supplies electricity to more than 10 lakh consumers in south and central Mumbai. The undertaking currently operates more than 2,766 buses, most of them hired from private operators on a wet-lease basis.
Mumbai police have warned of legal action against anyone obstructing public transport services, damaging BEST property or stopping willing employees from reporting for duty. The Shramik Utkarsh Sabha and the BEST Kamgar Union, which represent a section of BEST employees, have distanced themselves from the agitation and said talks with the administration and the state government were under way to address workers' grievances, even as the strike sharply reduced bus services across the city.
Only 32 of BEST's 2,766 buses were running on Mumbai's roads during the morning peak hours on Friday after employees began an indefinite strike over long-pending demands, a spokesperson of the civic undertaking said. The strike, which started after midnight on Thursday, disrupted travel for thousands of commuters across the city.
According to the official, 38 buses had left various depots, but six were forced to return after incidents of stone-pelting and obstruction by striking employees, leaving 32 buses in operation. Long queues were seen at bus stops, and many passengers turned to suburban trains, Metro services, autorickshaws, taxis and app-based cabs, while others reported delays in reaching workplaces and educational institutions.
"During weekdays, I travel to work by public transport, but today I took my bike out as there were no buses on the roads," said Sachin Nalawade, who works as a consultant. BEST Chairman Trushna Vishwasrao told PTI that she had appealed to the striking employees "not to hold the city to ransom and return to work".
The indefinite strike has been called by the BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, a joint action committee of 12 unions. Among the employees' key demands are the merger of BEST's budget with that of the BMC, a one-time settlement of legal dues of retired employees, implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations for the 2016-2026 period, abolition of contractual arrangements in the transport and electricity departments, and absorption of wet-lease bus workers into BEST.
The strike began despite an ad-interim order by an industrial court restraining employees from going on strike and the Maharashtra government's invocation of the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act, which bars disruption of essential services. BEST is Mumbai's second-largest public transport provider after the suburban railway network and carries around 25 lakh passengers daily through its bus services. It also supplies electricity to more than 10 lakh consumers in south and central Mumbai. The undertaking currently operates more than 2,766 buses, most of them hired from private operators on a wet-lease basis.
Mumbai police have warned of legal action against anyone obstructing public transport services, damaging BEST property or stopping willing employees from reporting for duty. The Shramik Utkarsh Sabha and the BEST Kamgar Union, which represent a section of BEST employees, have distanced themselves from the agitation and said talks with the administration and the state government were under way to address workers' grievances, even as the strike sharply reduced bus services across the city.
