Arun Nalawade: State government and BMC are out to destroy BEST

One of the posters for the forum which will be held today

Film and television personality Arun Nalawade cannot see the BEST dying a slow death. Nalawade, a former BEST employee, will be discussing why he feels that way today at a talk on how the transport service can be saved at the 'Aamchi Mumbai, Aamchi BEST' forum.

Speaking to mid-day, he says, "We cannot see a glorious and historic transport service dying a slow death like this. There needs to be a change in our mentality about the way we treat it. The government needs to step in and control the spread of private vehicles and promote BEST bus transport service more aggressively as a safe and reliable mode of transport."

Arun Nalawade

BMC should help
"BEST should be given support and freedom to bounce back. The BMC is the richest corporation in the country and it needs to offer all possible assistance; but I'm sad that it is not happening," he said. Nalawade said it was important to free BEST from all political intervention and continue its work in a professional manner. "In today's world where every other country is encouraging public transport, we seem to be neglecting it... It also seems as if the Maharashtra government and BMC are out to destroy BEST as a public transport service for the common people of Mumbai. They want to make Mumbai a playground for the rich and their private cars," Nalawade lamented.

BEST's problems
He said BEST's problems in the past few years have been created by repeated fare hikes, lack of investment, discontinuing feeder routes and a government policy that favours private vehicles.

Nalawade will further discuss ways to save BEST at the forum, which also includes speakers like journalist and Rajya Sabha MP Kumar Ketkar, senior journalist and convenor of the program Vidyadhar Date and assistant professor at Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies Hussain Indorwala. The forum will be held on Wednesday evening at the Press Club.

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