To facilitate its municipal employees, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced that Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses will be ferrying the officials to their workplaces. The decision came after the Centre completely banned all the suburban trains and BEST buses putting the officials in a fix about how would they travel to their offices.
The municipal officials play a significant role in running the city. The civic body provides essential services such as water supply, sewage disposal, solid waste management, municipal hospitals, pest control officers and the fire brigade to citizens. As per municipal unions, most of the civic officials come from far such as Panvel, Ulwe, Badlapur and Virar. The officials said that the decision that was taken on Saturday, March 21, that the trains will be allowed to carry only such officials was better than a complete lockdown situation.
Therefore, BMC has created a joint action plan to ferry municipal employees, police personnel and bank employees. As per this plan, Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses will ferry those living outside municipal limits up to a certain point within the municipal limit. For example, employees living in Asangaon, Badlapur, Kalyan will be dropped at Thane station. From this point, the employees can take a BEST bus, which will drop them at their workplace. The MSRTC has set aside 540 buses for the purpose. Staff members of private hospitals, pharmacy employees, grocery shop owners, and telephone and electricity company staffers can also avail this service.
