900 contractual BEST bus drivers without pay for 5 months

Apart from basic salaries, the drivers claim of not receiving the Provident Funds amount as well

First India Bureau

Mumbai: Nearly 900 Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) contractual bus drivers have now knocked on the doors of

Colaba police station alleging that the contractors have not paid their salaries for 5 months and Provident Funds (PF) for 13 months. The drivers, deployed in five bus depots namely Colaba, Bandra, Wadala, Kurla and Vikhroli are sitting jobless for a few months.

The basic salary of these drivers is Rs18,000 per month. “They had deducted money from our salaries in the name of PF and medical expenses but it hasn’t been paid to us yet,” ex- plained a driver.

According to one of the drivers, they have been working since 2019 and performed duty even during the pandemic. “So many festivals have gone by, but forget about bonuses, we have not even received our rightful salaries,” he said.

The drivers further claimed that they have not got any assistance from any government body or the authorities in this regard. “We have approached every of- fice. Our children are young, we are the only working members. Half of us live in rented kholis (chawls), and now we don’t even have the money to pay rent or buy food supplies for the family,” said a driver of BEST bus in the Bandra depot area.

Allegedly, one of the drivers who was depressed about the situation also tried to commit suicide. “He lived in Marathwada and after not getting paid for months tried to hang himself. At this point, there are no assurances we can give him,” said one of the drivers.

At present, there are 280 buses at the five bus depots lying idle as there are no drivers to ply them. The drivers say they have also written to the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to provide assistance, but have not yet heard back; and since it’s a matter related to private contractors, even the BEST authorities are not intervening, they claim.