The BEST employees who have succumbed to the coronavirus while performing essential duties are to be compensated with Rs. 50 lakhs. In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, BEST has been providing transportation services to employees in essential services. However, due to the contagious nature of COVID-19, so far, 405 people have been infected with the coronavirus.
This compensation was much needed at a time when the BEST buses have been providing the much-needed service to people all across Mumbai and even outside the city. BEST had earlier announced to function outside Mumbai and provide transport services from Mumbai to Virar to Asgaon. However, the employees of BEST are serving at the risk of their lives so that the employees travelling do not suffer from any inconveniences. Before the lockdown, BEST was serving 31 to 32 lakh passengers daily. However, at the moment, due to lack of manpower, 4 to 5 lakh passengers are being served. On June 8, BEST carried 4.19 lakh passengers, while the next day it added 54,000 passengers. Despite the increase in the number of passengers, BEST is facing difficulties in increasing the number of rounds due to lack of manpower.
On the first day, around 4 lakh passengers travelled by bus. BEST had planned to run 2,500 buses out of 3,500. However, only 2,132 buses ran during rush hour. On June 9, the number of people travelling increased further. 4 lakhs 73 thousand 680 passengers travelled on June 9. On Tuesday, only 2,300 buses ran. The situation was similar on Wednesday morning during the rush hour. Due to the limited number of passengers, the bus does not stop at the middle stops. The BEST circular, however, has one criterion to avail compensation. It states that the staffer should be on duty for at least one day within 14 days before hospitalisation or death due to the coronavirus. BEST had earlier started providing staffers with vitamin tablets, conducting routine checks and sanitizing them before commencing on the day’s journey.
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