Mumbai: Despite allegations that the general manager of the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking, Surendra Bagde, failed to consider the grievances of striking employees, the Shiv Sena supported Bagde at the BEST committee meeting and defeated the motion of adjournment on Monday.
Congress corporator and leader of the opposition Ravi Raja moved the adjournment motion. “Bagde did not consider the grievances of the striking employees and acted of his own will. This has created a feeling of mistrust among the employees and management,” Raja claimed in the motion. Discussing the motion, Raja said, “During the strike, the employees were issued evacuation notices.”
Furthermore, the proposal of merger of the BEST and BMC budgets was not mentioned in the letter issued by the general manager to the state govt appointed mediation committee, he added. Raja blamed Bagde for the `20 crore loss incurred by the BEST during the nine-day strike. However, Suhas Samant, leader of Sena BEST Kamgar Union said, “The GM made an effort to understand demands of the employees during the strike.”