What started as a dispute over salary issues of the workers and the management of the BEST undertaking has now snowballed into a serious concern.
What started as a dispute over salary issues of the workers and the management of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has now snowballed into a serious concern threatening to further affect Mumbai’s commuters.
Almost a month-and-a-half later, Sharad Rao, general secretary of BEST workers union alleged that BEST general manager Uttam Khobragade with the help of five of his employees planned an attack on him.
“The conspiracy took place at my residence. A Tata Indica car stopped at the main gate and 11 people got out and tried to attack me. But as I was intimated in advance, I had sought police protection outside my residence,” said Rao while he demanded that a police case be registered against the BEST GM for indulging in criminal activities.
A defensive Khobragade maintained that Rao was off his senses as he had never hatched any criminal act against him. Enraged at the allegations, Khobragade has now decided to file defamation case against Rao. This apart from the already filed complaint under the Atrocities Act against him.
Meanwhile, Khobragade has also refused to enter into any agreement with the BEST workers union over their demand of a revision of pay scales. “I will not enter into any agreement as long as Rao is a part of the union,” said Khobragade adding, “Only if I receive a written directive from the government will I be bound to abide by it.”
Rao has also accused Khobragade of trying to create communal problems within the undertaking and demanded an investigation into the land deals Khobragade had penned in his capacity of in-charge of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) and State Transport (ST).
Rao also criticised Khobragade for the fresh recruitments as he claimed that the number of accidents and instances of inefficiency had increased. Refuting the charge Khobragade said, “Accidents are not new for the undertaking. We have had several instances of experienced staff committing accidents.
Also, there was utmost transparency in the recruitment drive undertaken. Necessary training has also been imparted to the 750 new recruits thereby making them permanent employees of the undertaking.”
“It is for the first time that a strike called by Rao has failed. As long as I am at this position I will not let anybody disrupt the functioning of the city’s second lifeline — the BEST buses,” he added.
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