BEST STRIKE ENDS; COMMUTERS RELIEVED!!
Mumbaikars heaved a sigh of relief on Wednesday when, eventually, the 9-day old BEST workers’ strike was called off, bringing a smile on the faces of lacs of commuters in the metropolis.
BEST buses, being the parallel ‘Life Line’ to local trains in Mumbai and the cheapest mode of transportation for the common man, the Mumbai High Court intervened to solve the clash between BEST employees and the BEST Management and played a key role in ending the impasse. Secondly, the BEST administration and the Industrial Court, too, had declared the BEST strike illegal, yet the BEST Employees Union had shut 27 bus depots in Mumbai holding the entire city to ransom! More than 25 lacs Mumbaikars were badly hit by the strike. In Mulund, the life of 3 to 4 lac people who are regular bus commuters went topsy-turvy!
It may be noted that BEST employees had gone on strike demanding hike in payment, revision of pay scale of junior level employees and merger of BEST’s budget with that of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Now, the BEST workers’ union has agreed to accept the ’10-step’ pay hike, but there is the dispute over the merger of BEST’s budget with that of BMC. The Bombay High Court has appointed a retired judge as a mediator to bring an end to the dispute amicably.
A rare sight of humanity!
As Mulundkars struggled to travel in the absence of buses, a Mulund-based NGO, Utkarsh Global Foundation, displayed a rare sight of humanity. The NGO came to the rescue of Mulundkars by operating multiple private buses to help citizens reach their destination. These private buses were stationed at Mulund station and helped commuters drop off at LBS Road, ESIC Hospital, Mulund Colony and Paanch Rasta.
Even the Navi Mumbai Corporation came to the aid of passengers and arranged 2 buses from Mulund to Kanjur Marg via LBS Marg. Interestingly, these buses were put into service to help the working ladies and female senior citizens and were operated by female drivers and female conductors!!!
