Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said his party had promised to merge the budget of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) with that of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), and would fulfil the assurance.
The Sena is the ruling party in the BMC and also a part of the State and Central governments.
Deserted, crowded: A security guard walks past parked BEST buses at an empty Bandra depot on Sunday. (Below) Police manage the long queue of commuters waiting for taxis due to the shortage of buses.
The budget merger is one of the key demands of the BEST employees on strike, and was also promised by the Sena during the BMC poll campaign in 2017. The strike, that has hit commuters, entered its sixth day on Sunday.
‘No politics’
Mr. Thackeray said on Sunday, “The financial condition of the BEST has deteriorated. I had promised a merger of the budgets, and that will be fulfilled. A solution can be reached only through talks. Even though the strike matter is in courts, I am ready to be a part of the discussions if necessary. But I do not want to drag politics into this.”
The Sena chief said “disproportionate demands” would only add to the BEST’s financial troubles.
The Sena’s BEST union, which boasts of a membership of 11,000 out of the 35,000-strong workforce of the transport utility, had withdrawn support to the strike on the second day. Its leaders had said 500 buses would be back on the roads. However, the claim fell flat, with the workers continuing the strike. This was a a clear indication that the party-affiliated union had little support among the workers, 99% of whom are Marathi.
The BEST committee, the policy-making body of the undertaking, is headed by Ashish Chemburkar, a Sena corporator from Worli.
Police manage the long queue of commuters waiting for taxis due to the shortage of buses.
BMC Commissioner Ajoy Mehta has hinted at privatisation as a way out for the BEST, but Mr. Thackeray said it cannot be the final solution. “Even if the option of privatisation comes up, we will not let the ownership slip away from us. Privatisation could be of a few buses, but no final decision has been taken yet,” he said.
Mr. Mehta has proposed wet leasing and renting buses from private agencies to cut costs.
MNS threatens protest
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has threatened to take to the streets on Monday if the government and BMC fail to find a solution to end the strike. “We support the strike and the BEST employees. Their demands are just and must be fulfilled. The people of Mumbai are facing difficulties due to the government and its neglect. If these demands are not met, the MNS will protest from Monday,” MNS leader Sandip Deshpande said.
