MUMBAI: Among the segments severely affected by the debilitating BEST strike are senior citizens and pensioners who conserve financial resources, and cannot walk on Mumbai's potholed roads.Seventy-year-old Iqbal Singh Bedi from Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri, visits the gurdwara at Four Bungalows three or four times a week. "It is a routine I have established after retirement. We meet like-minded elders and also focus on religion and seva, which we could not do during our working life. But I have been forced to avoid going this past week. Each trip costs Rs 30 by autorickshaw while bus fare is Rs 10. The afternoons are idle but what can I do." Bedi said.Retired teacher Madhu Bali from Deonar said, "I am not earning anymore so I need to watch my expenditure. I just made one trip to the doctor by auto last week because that was unavoidable. I enjoy walking, but the potholes and paver blocks are worrisome. Who will look after me if I suffer a fall. After all, I live alone,".Ratan Chandnani of the Sion Senior Citizens' Association said attendance dropped at Sunday's meet-up at SIES College owing to the strike.Anil Kaskhedikar of the All India Senior Citizens' Confederation said that the elders were rather unhappy with the BEST strike.He said, "BEST is an essential public utility which must be functional at all times. A shutdown is not acceptable. There must be other ways of expressing protest. Senior citizens need to travel to the doctor, post office, government offices and cultural functions. How can pensioners afford rickshaws and taxis every time?"M C Rajagopalan of Sion, who retired from a defence utility, said the odour of corruption was unmistakable. "I have commuted by BEST for 40 years, and utilised the AC buses during my last two years in office. I am appalled to see how the entire AC fleet was first phased out, then a whole new set of buses purchased. Nine hundred buses have been taken off the roads, waiting time at bus stops spans one hour, and now this strike. I can see the authorities wanting to privatise the service but by then people may permanently shift to new modes of transportation. The Metro Rail network will wean lakhs of riders away."

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