As per reports, the strike by employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) entered its third day on Sunday (21 June), continuing to severely disrupt public transport services across Mumbai.
Bus operations remained largely suspended as a significant number of drivers, conductors and operational staff continued to participate in the industrial action, forcing commuters to rely on suburban rail services, Metro services, taxis, auto-rickshaws and other alternative modes of transport.
• The disruption has significantly increased pressure on Mumbai’s public transport network, with commuters reporting overcrowding on suburban rail and Metro services, longer waiting times for taxis and auto-rickshaws, and increased travel expenses. BEST, however, deployed more than 100 buses on Sunday (21 June) to facilitate transportation for students appearing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) re-examination across the city.
• Union leaders have stated that the agitation will continue until the government provides a definitive commitment on their demands, which include implementation of the 2016–2026 wage settlement based on the 7th Pay Commission, payment of pending statutory dues to retired employees, merger of BEST’s budget with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) budget, recruitment of additional staff, absorption of wet-lease workers, procurement of additional BEST-owned buses, and protection of BEST assets from sale or long-term leasing.
• In a further development, the BEST workers’ action committee has announced a “Chalo Vidhan Bhavan” march to Vidhan Bhavan in South Mumbai on Tuesday (23 June). Organisers stated that approximately 25,000 employees are anticipated to participate in the demonstration to press for resolution of their demands during the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Maharashtra Legislature.
