Around 250 people, affiliated to various workers’ and women’s organisations, marched from Veer Kotwal Garden in Dadar to Wadala bus depot on Monday to protest the wet leasing of bus services of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST).
The march was organised by Aamchi Mumbai Aamchi BEST (AMAB), a collective of activists who have come together to resist BEST’s recent plans. “The initiative is unique since citizens’ organisations took the lead,” Vidyadhar Date, transport expert and member of AMAB, said.
At the Wadala bus depot, a delegation of protesters met with some members of the BEST management and presented their charter of demands. Some of their key demands were included stalling discontinuation of routes, subsidising and operating BEST as a part of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), introduction of bus priority lanes on all arterial and link roads in the city, reduction of fares for the three shortest distances to ₹ 4, 6, and 8.
The BMC on Saturday approved a fare hike across all distances, barring the two shortest ones: 2 km and 4 km. “We also proposed that cars parked on the roads be charged according to the real estate rates of the area. It will provide an alternate model of funding, which can be utilised to subsidise BEST,” Mr. Date said.
“For those protesting in the march, the wet leasing of buses is just another term for privatisation,” said Girija Gupte, member of AMAB. She said that the march was essentially about raise awareness of BEST’s plans. The move to wet-lease buses was stayed by an Industrial Court on February 14, after BEST unions threatened to go an indefinite strike.
Strike to be intensified
Ms. Gupte said, “It’s not just a workers’ issue. It’s a people’s issue. Lakhs of people use this service and contractualisation of the service impacts all of us.”
The collective plans to intensify their protest.
