Mumbai: No end to impasse as BEST bus strike enters 8th day, all eyes on HC

The high court on Monday said it would pass appropriate orders on Tuesday on the BEST bus strike if the union and state authorities failed to end the deadlock.

BEST Strike : In an unfavourable development for Mumbai's nearly 25-lakh daily bus commuters, the deadlock between BEST workers' union and the Maharashtra government entered eighth day on Tuesday, with both sides failing to reach an agreement before the Bombay High Court to end the stir.

The high court on Monday said it would pass appropriate orders on Tuesday on the BEST bus strike if the union and state authorities failed to end the deadlock, adding that "things cannot continue as they are". (Busniess Standard)

The high court bench also directed the high power committee, constituted by the Maharashtra government last week to negotiate with the striking union, to submit a report in a sealed cover clarifying its views on some of the urgent demands of the union.

The bench has been urging the union, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the state government and BEST undertaking to resolve issues in a "congenial environment" and ensure minimum inconvenience to the public.

The high court has been hearing, since last week, a PIL filed by lawyer Datta Mane urging the court to pass interim orders directing BEST workers to call off the strike immediately.

Over 32,000 employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) are on strike since Tuesday last week and 3,700 buses in its fleet are off the roads.

The employees are demanding higher salaries, merging budget of the loss-making BEST with that of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), deliberations on new wage agreement, resuming appointments on compassionate grounds and bonus equivalent to that of the civic body employees.

On Monday, the state and the BMC told the bench that while they had proposed several solutions to resolve the issues being faced by the BEST workers, the union was still adamant on not withdrawing the strike.

The advocate general and the BMC's counsel Anil Sakhre told the bench Monday that the authorities were ready to look into the grievance surrounding the pay scale of the junior level employees subject to the strike being called off.

The BEST has a fleet of over 3,200-red-colour buses and also operates in the neighbouring Thane district and Navi Mumbai. It is the second-biggest mode of transport in Mumbai after local trains, which ferry over 80-lakh passengers every day.

With its employees having gone on strike, the cash-strapped BEST is likely to face a loss of Rs 3 crore per day.

Mumbai-Jaipur Jet Airways flight passengers complain of nose, ear bleeding

Jet Airways' comment on the incident is awaited.

Over 30 passengers of a Jet Airways Mumbai-Jaipur flight on Thursday complained of nose and ear bleeding and headache due to loss of air pressurisation in the aircraft.

The Boeing 737 operating the flight (9W 697) returned to Mumbai and passengers were treated by airport doctors.

A Directorate General of Civil Aviation official said the incident occurred in the climb phase as the crew forgot to select bleed switch which is used to maintain cabin pressurisation.

According to Flight Radar 24 website, the Boeing 737 aircraft had climbed upto 10,000 feet and was close to Surat when pilots decided to return to Mumbai.

"As a result, oxygen masks got deployed. Out of 166 passengers on board, 30 passengers are affected who have nose bleeding, few have ear bleeding and some are complaining headache.

All the affected passengers are being attended to by the doctors at the airport," a DGCA official said.

Jet Airways' comment on the incident is awaited.

Article Source Business Standard

Mumbai flood highlights: Flashback of 26 July 2005, 13 years of Mumbai floods

26 July 2005, a date etched in the memory of every Mumbai citizen. Through pictures, we look at the deadly deluge the city suffered.

26 July 2005 : The rains paralysed the city.The city received a rainfall of 944 mm, a 100-year high, in a span of 24 hours. The rain continued and at least 1,000 people lost their lives and 14,000 homes were destroyed.

37,000 auto rickshaws, 4,000 taxis, 900 BEST buses were damaged, and 10,000 trucks and tempos were grounded. The city had to bear a direct loss of about Rs 5.5 billion.

Local trains came to a halt due to the water-logging on the tracks. 52 local trains were damaged. Water logging led to a dramatic increase in trafiic on road and low-lying regions like Dharavi and Bandra-Kurla Complex were submerged.

There was no Facebook and Twitter then. Thousands of people were stranded due to flooding and could not reach home for up to 24 hours.

The rains could not defeat the indomitable spirit of the Mumbaikars. They were not just helping the fellow citizens but also rescued stray animals.

At present, the monsoon rains and the subsequent flooding keeps on bringing back the memories of the 2005 floods. Almost every year, the monsoon season brings scenes of distress from all across the city, depicting its struggle with rains.

The 2005 floods devastated the city. With the city receiving more rain, more construction, and more garbage, it is now indeed more vulnerable than what it was in 2005.

Wetlands and mangroves need to be looked at as vital infrastructure, as they help reduce the impact of torrential rains by abosrbing water. It is essential to protect them. In addition, one must segregate the waste and should refrain from dumping it in storm-water drains and waterways.

Article Source BS