BEST buses have killed 47 people this year, injured 207 seriously

One morning in early March this year, 22-year-old Shweta Gupta, a student of commerce, was walking on SV Road. She was on her way to her father’s shop, which was close by.

A speeding BEST bus, which was on its way to Jankalyan Nagar in Malwani from Malad (W) station, according to reports, “ran over Shweta’s waist and legs. Both her legs were fractured and her waist was crushed.”

Her father, Ramesh, is reported to have said, “I was about to enter my shop when I heard people shouting. I rushed to the spot and discovered  that it was my own daughter who had met with an accident.” She had died on her way to the hospital,.

Shweta was just one of the 47 Mumbaikars, till November this year, to have been killed in accidents, which occurred as a result of recklessness of some BEST bus drivers.

The numbers for victims who suffered “serious” and “minor” injuries are even higher: 207 and 534, respectively. What makes these numbers disturbing is the fact that they are considerably higher than the previous year.

According to BEST chief spokesperson, NA Walawalkar, there were 39 deaths, 182 “serious” injuries and 564 “minor” injuries in 2009.

When DNA tried to contact General Manager OP Gupta to get the official response regarding the issue, he was unavailable for comment. BEST chairman Sanjay Potnis, too, was evasive. “I haven’t received a report regarding the issue so, I cannot comment,” said Potnis.

However, BEST committee member of the opposition, Ravi Raja, was unsparing in his criticism of the administration. “The bus drivers are neither provided proper training or guidance to help them de-stress. BEST was once known for its safety but now, it has become people’s nightmare,” he said.

Another BEST committee member, who spoke to DNA on the condition of anonymity, said, “Most of these accidents are a result of the unskilled and untrained on-road staff-drivers and conductors-hired hastily by former general manager Uttam Khobragde during the 2007 workers’ strike. This staff was hired on daily wages and their salary is still very low. Such drivers are not motivated to be efficient. To add to the problem, he is without professional training. Thus, mistakes, which they make sometimes turn serious and are bound to occur. The administration should listen keenly to what the daily wagers say when they protest instead of simply labelling them as unruly protestors.”