MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking has asked the state government for over ₹5,000 crore to address the multiple issues that it is currently facing. One of the most urgent matters on hand is the redressal of the problems faced by thousands of retired BEST employees by paying them their long-pending pension and gratuity dues. With multiple unions threatening to go on strike if these demands are not addressed, the BEST top brass is in a tight corner.
Sources said that earlier this month, BEST general manager Sonia Sethi wrote a letter to the state government, apprising it of the threat from the unions. The letter, a copy of which is with Hindustan Times, states, ‘For the purpose of paying pending dues of retired BEST employees and balance grant for the years 2025-26, funds of ₹2,357.38 crore should be made available to BEST immediately.’ BEST officials said that in order to meet their fiscal deficit, the authorities had demanded another ₹3,000 crore from BEST’s parent organisation, the BMC, for the year 2026-27.
Office bearers of the BEST unions said that thousands of BEST employees were struggling on account of not having received their pending dues. “It will be three months since I went on an indefinite fast for my demands, including clearing retired employees’ gratuity and pension, increasing the BEST bus fleet and other issues,” said union leader Shashank Sharad Rao. “We will take a call on the further course of action in a couple of days.”
The demands made by the trade unions, apart from paying retired employees their dues, include full payment of travel allowance, annual bonus, leave encashment and Covid-19 allowance. They have also demanded an amendment in the wage agreement of BEST employees and the merger of the BEST budget with that of the BMC. “There is also a need to increase the number of buses owned by BEST,” said BJP leader and BEST union leader Sunil Ganacharya. “At this point of time, there is no control over the wet-lease operators.”
Ganacharya said that a joint meeting of all the unions was scheduled in a couple of days, where the further course of action would be decided. Sources told HT that the last meeting to discuss BEST’s financial health was supposed to be held in the first week of December but was postponed.