BEST bus service is the second-biggest mode of transport in Mumbai after local trains, which ferry over 80 lakh passengers every day.
There
seems to be no end to woes of lakhs of commuters in Mumbai
as an indefinite strike by employees of the city's civic transport
undertaking continued for the third day Thursday.
Not
a single bus of the Brihanmumbai
Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) plied on Mumbai roads
since morning, an official said.
Commuters
complained that auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers were charging much
more than normal rates. Some harried commuters also appealed to the
Maharashtra government to take necessary steps to end the protest.
A
senior BEST official expressed hope of the stalemate getting resolved
soon.
Nearly
32,000 BEST employees are on an indefinite strike since Tuesday over
various demands, including higher salaries and merger of the budget
of the loss-making undertaking with that of the Brihanmumbai
Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The
state government had moved quickly to invoke the Maharashtra
Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA) against the striking BEST
employees, while its management asked them to end the stir and come
to the negotiating table.
The
BEST administration had on Wednesday cracked the whip, issuing
notices to over 2,000 staffers to vacate houses provided by the
undertaking. It also held dialogue with BEST workers' union leader
Shashank Rao, but it did not yield a positive outcome.
Despite
the Shiv Sena-affiliated union, BEST Kamgar Sena, withdrawing from
the protest, only 11 buses plied on the roads on Wednesday, an
official said.
Ashish
Chemburkar, the chairman of the BEST committee that handles the
day-to-day affairs of the undertaking, said they were going to hold
meetings with representatives of the protesting staffers on Thursday.
"We
are hopeful of arriving at a concrete solution today. Everyone wants
an end to this deadlock for the sake of Mumbaikars," Chemburkar
told PTI.
Another
official said BEST's general manager was expected to hold meetings
with union leader Rao, BMC Commissioner Ajoy Mehta and Mayor
Vishwanath Mahadeshwar.
Shiv
Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, who party rules the BMC, is also likely
to intervene in the matter, he said.
Passengers
continued to face inconvenience and some complained that
auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers were trying to fleece them.
Vinod
Dubey, who travels from suburban Andheri to Versova daily by BEST
bus, said, "The auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers are charging
two to three times more than normal rates, and if we refuse to pay
that amount, they are denying us the ride. This exploitation must be
stopped."
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