BEST wants special powers to stop vehicle parking at bus stops

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) wants special powers to take action against parking and encroachments at its bus stops so that passenger services can be bettered.

Presently, BEST officials have to seek assistance from Mumbai Traffic Police as well as the civic body to clear the hurdles so that passengers at the bus stops and bus shelters can wait and board the buses without any trouble.

"Obstruction due to unauthorised parking at the bus stops and bus shelters affect smooth bus services and results in temporary bumper-to-bumper traffic on narrower roads of Mumbai," said a senior BEST official.

If BEST is given the authority to initiate action against the offenders, it will result in immediate results in clearing the bus stops. "Often, auto rickshaw or taxi drivers wait at the bus stops blocking entry of buses. By the time people try to board the bus, the bus accelerates," said Tejas Rajput, a Vile Parle resident.

However, the nod to initiate action needs to come from the authorities concerned. In this case, it is the BEST's parent body — the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation — which has to assign powers for the 'needful'.