With buses not available on major routes linked to Mulund and Ghatkopar depots, where drivers had gone on protest, office-goers were stranded during the morning peak hour rush. This was the sixth such flash strike by wet lease drivers in the past 16 months.
The strike will continue on Thursday. On Wednesday, as many as 1,200 bus trips were cancelled. Nearly 5% buses were off roads as drivers protested outside gates, asking for better salaries. An union activist, J M Kahar, said the demands included salary hike and bringing medical and other benefits on par with full-time BEST drivers. “In fact, the wife of one of the drivers also sat on a hunger protest at Azad Maidan and all drivers later went to the maidan to show solidarity,” he said. The wet lease drivers earn a salary of Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 a month while a BEST driver earns close to Rs 30,000, he said.
BEST management took stern action against the private contractor by issuing a notice and imposing a penalty of Rs 5,000 per bus per day, a senior official said. “A total 160 buses were off roads and remained parked at both depots due to the absence of drivers. We are taking up the issue with the private contractor as several daily commuters were put to hardship,” he said.
Office-goer Akshita Kulkarni said clueless commuters continued to queue up for nearly 30-45 minutes at Mulund. “We were then informed of the strike by a passer-by. We were delayed at work, besides facing trouble getting autos,” she said. Another said students and elderly were affected.
BMC opposition leader and BEST committee member Ravi Raja said the bus administration has no control on private agencies operating on wet lease. “This is a serious issue as any driver can decide to go on strike and there is no accountability. Since BEST is an essential service and the second lifeline of Mumbai, the management should invoke stringent Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act against those on strike,” he said. Another former BEST panel member, Sunil Ganacharya, will go to Azad Maidan on Thursday to understand drivers’ needs and see if he can help find a solution. A BEST spokesperson said: “Our own drivers are not on strike and are running buses. We have deployed such buses at Ghatkopar and Mulund on existing routes.”
