Nod for redevelopment of 3 BEST depots
Mumbai CM Fadnavis approved redevelopment of BEST bus depots to boost revenue. He urged for fleet expansion and real-time updates for commuters.
Mumbai: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday gave his nod for the redevelopment of bus depots at Bandra, Deonar and Dindoshi to generate additional revenue for the beleaguered Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking. The approval was granted during a review of the functioning of BEST. Officials of the transport utility urged a tariff hike, but Fadnavis asked them to share a formal proposal for the same, said sources.
The Bandra depot plot, located close to the railway station, once accommodated a slaughter house. Large parts of the depot have been encroached upon while a new road connecting the station with the Western Express Highway is under construction. The Deonar plot is adjacent to the Sion-Panvel Road while the Dindoshi depot is close to the proposed Goregaon-Mulund tunnel.
BEST expects to generate substantial revenue by redeveloping these plots.
Several controversies had erupted during earlier efforts to exploit land owned by BEST. For instance, there is hardly any space for buses at the Mahim depot after it was commercialised while the BEST depot near Ambedkar Garden was shut after BEST sold the land to a developer. A former general manager of the transport utility had proposed to sell off its Santacruz colony land, leading to much criticism, while a sitting BJP MLA is eyeing the land housing the BEST colony and ex-employees colony at Ghatkopar East.
During Friday’s meeting, Fadnavis urged BEST officials to find ways to increase their fleet as all earlier efforts had failed. The transport utility currently has 2,783 buses in operation including those on wet lease.
The chief minister said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) must allocate at least 3% of its budget for BEST. He also urged BEST authorities to check if funds could be sought from the central government under the National Clean Air policy.
Fadnavis said the wait time between buses must decrease and commuters must have access to real time updates, for which BEST and Google would sign a memorandum of understanding soon.
Mumbai suburban guardian minister Ashish Shelar, who was present at the meeting, suggested that theatres for screening Marathi films could be established on land housing the three depots. BEST general manager SVR Srinivas, who also attended the meeting, urged the government to clear dues worth ₹1,658 crore, including payments made by BEST buses at toll booths.
The transport and electric supply utility has been functioning without a regular general manager since Anil Diggikar was transferred after an accident in Kurla last year. IAS officer SVR Srinivas currently holds charge of the undertaking.
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