No end to Mumbai commuters' woes as BEST bus strike enters the third day

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.

ALSO READ: Ordeal continues for Mumbai commuters as BEST strike enters second day

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."

Business Standard

Maratha Bandh: Internet blocked in Navi Mumbai after clashes, arson

Police on Wednesday evening lobbed teargas shells and used baton-charge in the Kopar Khairane area after a group of protesters stoned vehicles and clashed with local people.

Maratha quota stir : Internet services in the neighbouring Navi Mumbai township have been suspended since early Thursday, a police official said.

The decision was taken in the wake of the situation in areas like Kopar Khairne, which witnessed violence during the Maratha quota agitation on Wednesday, he said.

The situation in Kopar Khairne was still tense, the official said.

Last evening, the police had lobbed teargas shells and used baton-charge in Kopar Khairane area after a group of protesters stoned vehicles, clashed with local people and indulged in arson.

Miscreants had also set fire to a police outpost.

The incidents took place after the Maratha organisations, seeking reservations in government jobs and education, had called off the bandh.

A group of protesters who were returning home last night had hurled stones at vehicles of local people in Kopar Khairane, a police official earlier said.

Later, some members of local communities had gathered at the spot and clashed with protesters, he said.

The mob then hurled stones in which some offices and shops were damaged.

They also set fire to a police chowky (outpost) near D-Mart supermarket in sector 6.

Five to six cars and over a dozen two-wheelers parked in front of the chowky were also vandalised and torched.

A hotel was set on fire in sector 3, the official said.

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Maratha quota stir: Mumbai bandh today; Navi Mumbai, Panvel to also be shut

As the Maratha quota stir intensified, agitators clashed with the police and torched vehicles at several places on Tuesday.

Mumbaikars on Wednesday braced for a Mumbai bandh after large-scale violence marred a state-wide protest on Tuesday by Maratha outfits demanding reservations for the community in Maharashtra, where a constable died and nine other policemen were injured amid a suicide attempt by three agitators.

As the stir for reservations in jobs and education intensified, the Maratha Kranti Morcha, which is spearheading the agitation, is taking its battle to Mumbai where it has called for the shutdown. Another outfit, the Sakal Maratha Samaj, called for a bandh on Wednesday in Navi Mumbai and Panvel as well.

On Tuesday, stone-pelting and arson were reported from several parts of the state, which remained on edge. Agitators clashed with the police and torched vehicles at several places, while internet services were suspended in rural areas of Aurangabad district to prevent any untoward incident. In Jalna, the police fired in the air to scatter protesters.

The impact of Tuesday's bandh was more visible in Aurangabad and adjoining districts in the central region of the state, a day after the death of a protester.

Quotas for Marathas, a politically influential community that constitutes around 30 per cent of the state's population, has been a hugely contentious issue.

One constable dies

A constable, deployed near the funeral venue of the protester who jumped to death on Monday, died. Police said the cause of death is yet to be ascertained.

"The postmortem report is awaited. Some injury marks were seen on his hands and legs," a police official said, adding another constable there got injured in stone-pelting.

Protester Kakasaheb Shinde (27) had jumped to death from a bridge over the Godavari in Aurangabad on Monday.

Shiv Sena MP manhandled

Shiv Sena MP Chandrakant Khaire faced the ire of the protesters when he went to attend his last rites at his Kaygaon village on Tuesday.

Khaire was manhandled by the crowd and had to beat a hasty retreat, police said, adding there was stone pelting on his car too.

The police at the venue caned protesters and lobbed tear gas shells, Aurangabad SP Arti Singh told PTI. "The situation in Aurangabad is under control. Police are alert to avert any unwanted incident."

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