BEST goes ahead with cancellation of 52 bus routes, effect to be evident today

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) has decided to go ahead with its plan of cancelling 52 bus routes from May 1, but the full effect of the cancelled routes will be seen on Monday morning, when the common man steps out to make his/her way to work.

The recognised Union BEST Workers Union headed earlier by Sharad Rao and now his son Shashank has rejected the proposal to postpone the cancellation of routes on the grounds that the conductors and drivers belonging to its Union have no problem with the schedule. “Our workers have no issue with the schedule and their duties so we have no problem with it. The management had talked with us about it before they gave the new duties and we had already affected it,” said Mr Shashank Rao.

According to the BMC Act under which the BEST falls, since changing of the routes will affect the schedule of the conductors and drivers the undertaking has to take the consent of the recognised union before implementing it.

The BEST committee had seen uproar on April 29 when members refused to sign off on the cancellations of routes and asked the management for the postponement, as a lot of commuters using those routes would be affected. One of these members was Ravi Raja who said that this is nothing but a game of one-upmanship between the Shiv Sena and its ally BJP. Mr Raja also said the Congress party plans to show its displeasure on Monday.

BEST general manager Jagdish Patil said that the routes have been cancelled from Sunday itself since the recognised Union have rejected the proposal to extend the route cancellation.

“The recognised Union have said that they have no issue so we have no option but to go ahead and cancel the routes,” he said.