The BEST chairman has asked the administration to provide funds for installation of fans and air coolers at bus depots and restrooms.
MUMBAI: Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) committee chairman Ashish Chemburkar has written to the administration, demanding funds to provide 1,000 fans and 200 air coolers at various bus depots and restrooms for drivers, conductors and other staff. I visited four bus depots recently Wadala Pratiksha Nagar Anik and Bandra depots and the condition of rest rooms and other places was deplorable. People are sweating and it s inhuman to have fans/coolers which are not in running condition amid the scorching heat and humid weather. I have demanded that the BEST administration should release funds to procure 1,000 fans and 200 air coolers at the earliest so that our staff does not face inconvenience during summer, he added.
BEST buses. (file photo)
MUMBAI: Despite BEST committee recently giving nod to SBI for collecting lakhs of coins accumulated at the bus depots across Mumbai, the BEST administration on Thursday issued a circular that salaries will be paid partly in coins this month as well .
Panel member Sunil Ganacharya expressed surprise over this decision. When they wanted approval, the administration brought the proposal before the BEST panel and got it cleared quickly during the last meeting. Now, they have a circular which mentions that Rs 16,000 will be paid in coins and cash of small denominations collected from passengers.
Staffers too expressed disappointment as it was cumbersome to carry the coins home. We also find it difficult to count coins during the pandemic as we have to wash and sanitise hands often, said an employee.