BEST Undertaking pins responsibility for unpunctuality of its bus services on the ongoing Metro work, demands compensation
BEST Undertaking claims to have incurred monetary losses due to delays and diversions due to Metro work across the city
Desparate times call for desperate measures. And if anything, the BEST Undertaking is making sure it makes most of this age-old advice. The transport body, which is reeling under financial duress, is now pinning responsibility for the unpunctuality of its bus services on the ongoing Metro work. To that effect, it has decided to fork out compensation from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). During the BEST Committee meeting held yesterday, the members discussed about the need for MMRDA and its sister concern MMRC, which is constructing the Metro rails in most parts of the city and suburbs, to reimburse them monetarily. "I've written a letter to the MMRDA asking them to reimburse us for the monetary loss that we are incurring due to diversions and delays of our buses," Anil Kokil, chairman, BEST Undertaking, confirmed.
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Sources said that the issue of this compensation first cropped up after the unexpected accident that took place last month at Kajupada in Jogeshwari (W). On June 14, at 6.40 am, a bus that was heading for Seven Bungalows, was damaged after a piling machine used for the Metro rail work collapsed on the bus. The BEST incurred a loss of R1.25 lakh on the repairs. "When the traffic police is being paid R25 crore for the Metro rail project, why not BEST? Our buses are losing punctuality, they are getting diverted and we are losing passengers," said Sunil Ganacharya, member, BEST Committee.
The administration has also decided to chart out details of all the bus routes and buses in their fleet that are getting affected due to Metro rail work.
When contacted, Dilip Kawatkar, joint project director, MMRDA, said, "If we receive a proposal from the BEST, we shall look into it and check its feasibility."
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