Summary:
MUMBAI: The BEST strike continued on Wednesday, and seemed set to roll into the third day on Thursday, inconveniencing more than 25 lakh commuters daily and causing a total revenue loss of Rs 10 crore. Also, in the first such move, Bagde issued notices to 2,000 workers and their families to vacate BEST quarters if they do not report for work.On Thursday, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray is expected to intervene, said a Sena union source. During the previous strike on August 7, 2017, Thackeray had been instrumental in pursuading the biggest union led by Shashank Rao to withdraw its agitation within 11 hours. BEST could operate merely 11 buses with police protection, and just 19 drivers and 14 conductors reported for duty.BEST general manager Surendrakumar Bagde slapped notices under MESMA (Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act ) on 300 employees. If the strike continues for yet another day, it could be the longest in Mumbai; the last such strike in 1997 ended in three days, said sources.The Shiv Sena union, which had withdrawn support to the strike, faced flak as it failed to run 500 buses in the morning as promised..