07 August,2026 08:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
Chunks of plaster lie scattered after the ceiling of a store room-cum-rest room collapsed at the Majas BEST depot. Pics/By Special Arrangement
Three mechanics employed by a private bus operator were injured after chunks of plaster from the ceiling of a store room-cum-rest room collapsed at the Majas Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) depot on August 6. The incident occurred at around 6.45 am in a rest room used by Mateshwari Urban Transport, a private operator working with BEST.
The injured were identified as Riyan Shaikh, 19, Salman Khan, 23, and Mujamdin Khan, 20. They were rushed to Trauma Care Hospital in Jogeshwari, where they received first aid and underwent a medical examination before being discharged.
The incident has once again raised concerns over the condition and maintenance of infrastructure at BEST depots. The exact cause of the ceiling plaster collapse is yet to be ascertained.
BEST Committee Member Nitin Nandgaonkar said he has written to the BEST administration, urging it to take up the issue on priority. A copy of the letter is with mid-day. The letter warns that several depots and outposts are in a dangerous structural condition. It specifically flags Vikhroli depot as being in an "extremely serious" state, alleging that employees are working under life-threatening conditions.
"Why have structural audits of the depots not been carried out? I have been demanding that audit reports be submitted within 10 days if they have already been conducted. The administration should immediately repair or reconstruct unsafe portions across all BEST depots to prevent a major accident," Nandgaonkar said.
