According to reports, 106 Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) employees have lost their life due to the coronavirus. Meanwhile, 90 of these BEST employees were informed that they had contracted the coronavirus and died during treatment.
BEST provides financial assistance of INR 50 lakhs to the heirs of all these employees and jobs to eligible kin of the deceased. However, it has come to light that the heirs of 15 employees are still waiting for jobs on compassionate grounds.
Since the beginning of pandemic, BEST vehicles have been made available to the employees of this essential service in Mumbai and the metropolis. Employees remained at full capacity even after the lockdown relaxation. Some employees contracted the disease while on duty.
So far, 3,375 employees have been contracted with the virus while on duty. Of these, 3,227 have recovered and 39 are undergoing treatment.
BEST's efforts to control TB, HIV, and tobacco use along with coronavirus, have been recognized by other organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO). In collaboration with the United Nations Development Program, the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Geneva organized an international online program to achieve "zero discrimination in the workplace." This time a documentary was shown on the health service in BEST.
Even after the outbreak of the coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown in March 2020, BEST, Western and Central Railway employees were still on duty. Furthermore, the affected officers, employees and their relatives of Central and Western Railways were treated at the Jagjivan Ram Hospital, Mumbai.
On the other hand, BEST on Wednesday, April 21, decided to cut down its fleet by almost 1,000 buses during this partial lockdown. According to reports, the number of bus services has been cut by 10 per cent due to the dropping passenger numbers.
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