A total of 55 state transport buses and 16 extra suburban train services during non-peak hours were what various authorities implemented as relief measures for a harrowing public commute on Tuesday.

Nearly 29 lakh regular commuters of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses were inconvenienced after labour unions called for an indefinite strike over their demands, including better pay, from Monday midnight. With lack of coordination between authorities, there was no concrete plan to tackle the situation. Commuters had to deal with autorickshaw and taxi drivers who charged arbitrarily, overcrowding in trains or traffic snarls. The BEST buses are the second largest mode of transport in the city after the local train network.

Commuter woes are likely to continue on Wednesday as the unions have not withdrawn the strike even after a Shiv Sena-affiliated union decide to withdraw their support to the BEST Sankyut Kamgar Kriti Samiti or joint-action committee of labour unions. This withdrawal means about 500 of 3,337 BEST buses would be running on Wednesday, bringing slight relief.

The state-owned Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), on BEST’s request, ran 55 buses, but on limited routes like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to Mantralaya and operated about 125 services. This means not even three services for each bus.

Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) operated four and 12 extra services respectively, but only during non-peak hours.

Unlike past strikes, the state did not authorise private vehicles to ferry passengers. This was despite a government resolution (GR) issued following a week-long strike of truckers last year. It stated in case of a strike, a seven-member panel chaired by district collectors should be formed for making necessary transportation arrangements and maintaining law and order. It also directed setting up a 24X7 control room and a nodal officer for coordination to avoid disruptions.

Neither had the authorities formed any committee nor were they aware of the GR, despite the threat of the strike looming mid-December. Now, instead of following the standard operating procedure (SOP), authorities are pointing fingers at each other.

Shivaji Jondhale, collector of island city, said he was unaware about the GR. “BEST had not asked for alternate arrangements,” he said. Suburban collector Sanjay Kurve could not be reached for comment.

Surendrakumar Bagde, general manager of BEST, said they had informed the state government much before the strike. “As the state has invoked MESMA (Maharashtra Emergency Services Maintenance Act), it is clear that the state was aware,” he said.

Ashish Kumar Singh, state transport secretary, did not respond to calls and text messages.

Railways said they operated the extra services suo motu. “There was no demand from the state government. The services were planned in the morning,” said a WR spokesperson.

Activists suggested that as the strike does not look to end soon, the government should take necessary steps. “Why did authorities not follow the SOP. The CM should take action against authorities,” said AV Shenoy, transport expert.

He said there should be a single-point authority to take action in such cases.

First Published: Jan 09, 2019 00:25 IST