According to BEST officials, while thousands of buses normally operate across Mumbai every day, only 32 buses managed to run on Thursday morning. Around six buses had initially left depots in the early hours, but they were immediately recalled after reports of stone-pelting incidents emerged.
According to a report by The Indian Express, Mumbai Police has issued a warning stating that strict legal action will be taken against anyone involved in violence or those attempting to damage buses or depot property under the cover of the strike.
The strike has been called under the leadership of the BEST Joint Workers Action Committee after negotiations with the administration over infrastructure and labour-related demands failed. The committee comprises 12 employee unions.
The industrial action comes despite an interim order issued by the Mumbai Industrial Court restraining BEST employees and wet-lease operators from participating in the strike. In addition, the state government has invoked the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act, declaring BEST transport and electricity services as essential services and prohibiting employees from joining the strike.
The disruption has also dealt a setback to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority's weekly Public Transport Day campaign in the Bandra-Kurla Complex. BEST normally operates 976 trips every day on 16 routes in the business district through 125 buses. Additional buses and personnel had been deployed for the campaign, but the strike has thrown the entire arrangement into disarray.
BEST operates 2,766 buses across 399 routes every day, including feeder services and long-distance routes, serving nearly 2.5 million passengers daily. Apart from transportation services, the undertaking's electricity department provides uninterrupted power supply to approximately 1.1 million consumers in South and Central Mumbai.
The indefinite strike has exposed the critical role played by BEST in Mumbai's daily life. With millions of commuters affected and public transport services severely disrupted despite court orders and the enforcement of the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act, the crisis has once again highlighted the city's heavy dependence on its bus network and essential utility services.
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