MUMBAI: Thousands of office-goers and students were left stranded across Mumbai on Friday morning after an indefinite strike by BEST employees brought the city's bus services to a near standstill.
Chaos at Bus Stops
Long queues were seen at bus stops, including Bhandup, as commuters waited for buses that never arrived before scrambling for suburban trains, Metro services, taxis, autorickshaws and app-based cabs to reach their destinations.
Strike Details
The strike, which began shortly after midnight on Thursday, was called by the BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, a joint action committee of 12 unions, over a host of long-pending demands.
According to a BEST spokesperson, only 38 of the undertaking's 2,766 buses could leave depots across the city during the morning peak hours. Six of them had to return after incidents of stone-pelting and obstruction by striking employees, leaving just 32 buses on the roads.
Impact on Commuters
The disruption severely hit commuters during the morning rush hour, with many reporting delays in reaching offices 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.
Appeal to Employees
BEST chairperson Trushna Vishwasrao appealed to the striking employees to resume work. "I appeal to the striking employees not to hold the city to ransom and return to work," she told PTI.
Demands of Employees
The employees are demanding the merger of BEST's budget with that of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), a one-time settlement of legal dues of retired employees, implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations for the 2016-26 period, abolition of contractual arrangements in the transport and electricity departments, and absorption of wet-lease bus workers into BEST.
Legal and Government Action
The strike was launched despite an ad-interim order of the industrial court restraining employees from going on strike and the Maharashtra government's invocation of the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA), which prohibits disruption of essential services.
Mumbai Police warned that strict legal action would be taken against anyone obstructing bus operations, damaging BEST property or preventing willing employees from reporting for duty.
BEST's Role
BEST, Mumbai's second-largest public transport provider after the suburban railway network, carries around 25 lakh passengers every day and also supplies electricity to more than 10 lakh consumers in south and central Mumbai.
Unions Distance Themselves
Meanwhile, the Shramik Utkarsh Sabha and the BEST Kamgar Union distanced themselves from the agitation, saying discussions with the administration and the state government were underway to resolve the workers' grievances.
(With agency inputs)
