MH-BEST-STRIKE

The ongoing BEST bus strike in

Mumbai is set to continue as a meeting chaired by Maharashtra

chief secretary Saturday between striking unions and the

management of the civic-run transport undertaking failed to

break the impasse.

The meeting was held after the Bombay High Court

Friday directed the union leaders to talk with a state

government committee, comprising Maharashtra chief secretary

DK Jain, BMC Commissioner Ajoy Mehta, secretaries of the

transport and urban development departments and BEST general

manager Surendrakumar Bagde, to find a way to end the strike.

Over 32000 employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric

Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) are on strike since

Tuesday and its fleet of 3200-odd buses are off the

metropolis' roads, causing severe inconvenience to several

lakh commuters.

Shashank Rao, president of the striking BEST Workers'

Union Saturday said the committee heard out to their demands

but did not give any response.

"We put our stand before them and very clearly stated

that we will not withdraw the strike until our demands are

accepted," Rao told reporters, adding that the stir would

proceed peacefully.

When contacted, state chief secretary DK Jain told PTI

that the committee has listened to the unions' grievances and

a report would be submitted to the Bombay High Court on

Monday.

"Before the report is submitted in the court, I cannot

reveal the minutes of the meeting," he informed.

An official, meanwhile, said the Brihanmumbai

Municipal Corporation (BMC) had once again made it clear that

it is not in favour of merging the BMC's and the loss-making

transport undertaking's budgets, as demanded by the union.