Mumbai: BEST orders staff to return auto and taxi permits

BEST says some employees have, knowingly or unknowingly, renewed their permits for parallel use. File pic

BEST employees holding taxi and auto permits must give away the licences immediately, the bus undertaking has said. The transporter last week slapped a notice on such staffers citing violation of service rules.

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), which runs Mumbai's iconic red buses, said it is mandatory for its employees having taxi and auto permits to surrender them to Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) once they formally join the services.

"However, it has come to out notice that many have not done so and have even renewed the permits for parallel use, knowingly and unknowingly. Hence, all employees are requested to surrender the permits at once to the respective department heads or face disciplinary action," read a notice by BEST's personnel and employee welfare department to the workers.

The move doesn't seem to have gone down well with all. BEST committee member and BJP leader Sunil Ganacharya said it was unfair to enforce the rules in a sweeping manner. Ganacharya said no one disputes the fact that a BEST employee should not be holding a taxi or auto permit. Instead of surrendering it, he said, there should be an option of getting the permits suspended while in service of the undertaking.

The leader explained: "The basic talent and skill of a driver remains driving a vehicle. If the driver, for some reason, gets suspended from BEST, his permit too would get stuck and he will become jobless. All he can do is drive a vehicle skilfully and if we take away the permit from him in such a way, he will be left without a job despite having a skill. The BEST should think in a holistic manner about its employees' welfare."

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