BEST Bus Strike: Red Buses Stay Off Roads As Talks Fail, Bombay HC May Pass Order
After talks to end the stir failed on Monday, the red buses continued to stay off the roads while auto and cab drivers charged a higher fare, causing inconvenience to travellers.
Mumbai, January 15: Commuters in Mumbai continued to face the brunt of the ongoing BEST strike as the agitation entered the eighth day on Tuesday. After talks between the BEST workers' union and Maharashtra government failed on Monday, the red buses continued to stay off the roads while auto and cab drivers charged a higher fare, causing inconvenience to travellers. BEST, the lifeline of Mumbai that has a fleet size of nearly 3200 buses, is the second largest transport system in the metropolis after local trains. The BEST buses ferry more than 70 lakh commuters on a daily basis. BEST Bus Strike in Mumbai: Commuting Nightmare Continues as Red Buses Remain Off Roads.
The Bombay High Court, however, said that it will issue 'appropriate orders' on Tuesday if those involved in the BEST strike are not able to resolve the issue. As many as 32,000 BEST employees are on strike since January 7 for various demands including pay revision, as a result of which 3200-odd buses in its fleet are off the roads in the megapolis. Amid BEST Strike, Mumbai Monorail Employees Threaten Stir Over Unpaid Salaries.
Apart from the other demands, the employees have been demanding a merging of the company’s budget with that of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Lakhs of commuters who travel by BEST buses every day are facing hardships due to the strike.
On Monday, the striking BEST workers' union and the Maharashtra government failed to reach an agreement before the Bombay High Court to end the stir. The high court said it would pass appropriate orders on Tuesday on the 7-day-old BEST bus strike if the union and state authorities failed to end the deadlock. According to a PTI report, a bench of Chief Justice Naresh Patil and Justice NM Jamdar also said: "things cannot continue as they are".
Reports inform that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday intervened in the BEST bus strike and spoke to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to find a solution. Meanwhile, activists of the MNS disrupted ongoing works for the Coastal Road and Metro 3 projects to express solidarity with striking workers of BEST.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 15, 2019 12:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).