Are Mumbai buses BEST for commuters?

Mulund-Worli bus, which caught fire 20 days after being declared fit, had a jammed extinguisher; was one of many cases over the past few months

Is a commute on BEST buses safe? The July 31 incident where a bus driver struggled to put out a fire, which was engulfing the vehicle, with borrowed extinguishers, goes to show it is not. After the bus caught fire, the driver had to make several trips to nearby restaurants for extinguishers as the one installed in the vehicle was jammed. Ironically, the bus was inspected on July 10 and found fit to run, revealed a probe into the incident.

The incident had taken place near Maheshwari Udyan in Matunga, when the bus was ferrying passengers to Worli from Mulund. "As the bus was crossing Maheshwari Udyan, I noticed smoke coming out of the switch box and I opened it. The wires were on fire. I asked the conductor to get the fire extinguisher, but despite several attempts he failed to get it out as it was jammed," said driver Tatu Fernandes in a statement to the BEST's inquiry committee. His statement, a copy of the statement is with mid-day, was presented before the panel at a meeting on Friday.

"I then got three extinguishers from nearby restaurants and four from the buses that were passing by. I called the police and the fire brigade after I couldn't put out the flame despite several attempts," Fernandes said. "I again had to wander around in search of a spanner to disconnect the wire from the battery. After that the fire department was able to cut off the wire and stop the blaze from spreading further," he added.

Declared fit on July 10

"The bus of Tata make, which was inducted in the fleet just two years ago in 2017, was inspected and found fit to run on July 10," BEST committee member Srikant Kauthankar said at the meeting. "Are we serious about maintenance of our buses?" he asked. This was the second BEST bus to catch fire in two months. The first one was on May 3. Passengers were on board the vehicle in both the cases. The only difference was that the first was a CNG bus and this was diesel-fuelled.

BEST chairman Anil Patankar

BEST chairman Anil Patankar has ordered an inquiry into the matter. "How can the bus that was inspected and found fit on July 10 have such an issue (jammed extinguisher)? With fare cuts, more and more passengers have started using BEST buses but we will only lose their trust with such incidents. The maintenance department should strictly adhere to the norms and carry out their responsibility sincerely," Patankar said.

Even as Patankar lashed out at the officials for the carelessness, other members on the committee seemed concerned about the operational cost. If the manufacturers would tow away a bus for repairs, we would have one less vehicle in the fleet and who will reimburse the BEST for operational losses, said the members.

BEST Twitter debut soon

The BEST is all set to make its Twitter debut, said an official at the BEST committee meeting. A senior official said, "All the basic things are in place and the agency handling the BMC account will soon start an account for BEST too. Commuters, electricity customers and all other stakeholders will then be able to use it to put forth their grievances in real time."

Strike or no strike?

The BEST Workers' Union, which has threatened an indefinite strike from August 6 midnight, has not taken a final call yet. The union, led by Shashank Sharad Rao, is expected to make an announcement about the strike on Monday. "We just don't want someone who does not have powers to pacify us to withdraw or delay the strike. However, we want a concrete solution," Rao said. The BEST Undertaking on Friday said they are holding talks with the trade unions about their demands on wage and other issues. "On Thursday, the transport union was here, on Friday the electric workers' union had come and we are positive about resolving the issues. We will have more round of talks soon," BEST General Manager Surendra Bagade said.

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