Mumbai: 22 buses rotting at Sion’s Pratiksha Nagar depot

The buses that have been gathering dust at the Pratiksha Nagar depot

More than 22 new BEST buses have been rotting at Pratiksha Nagar bus depot in Sion following a dispute between the undertaking and the contractor. While MNS leaders protested at the depot on Tuesday, BEST committee members said that it was unfair of the BEST administration to sign long-term contracts which contractors eventually cannot afford.

Explaining the controversy, BEST committee member Sunil Ganacharya said that these 22 buses were from one of the very first contracts entered into by the undertaking a few years ago. "However, at a later point the contractor realised that it was not economical to run buses and hence stopped plying the buses. The BEST has also formally ended the contract, but these 20-25 buses are still counted as part of the BEST's fleet," he said.

"The BEST takes pride in its increasing fleet, but they should be wary about such buses that are not in use as these are unnaturally bloating the numbers. It is an injustice to the local commuters too who end up missing out on the extra bus service. The undertaking should refrain from entering into long-term contracts, which sometimes do not prove feasible," he said.

On Monday, a team from the MNS transport wing, led by Sanjay Naik, protested at the depot as the drivers and staff of the buses have not been given their due salaries. "It is unfair not to give them their dues. We have given an ultimatum of 10 days for disbursal of pay to the staff," an MNS worker said.

While BEST did not respond to queries, an official said the buses would soon be taken away from the bus depot by the contractor.

10
MNS's deadline in days for BEST to pay staff