Mumbai: Reviving a long-pending demand, the BEST Workers Union has urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to merge the BEST Undertaking's budget with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) main budget. The union has also welcomed the recent demand raised by BEST Committee Chairperson Trishna vishwash rao on the issue.
Historical Background - 2016 to 2017
In a letter to the Chief Minister, the union said it has been demanding since 2016 that BEST's separate budget be integrated with the BMC's main budget. The issue had triggered a major agitation in 2017, when the BEST Joint Workers Action Committee launched a strike. The protest was later withdrawn after assurances from then Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray that the merger would be pursued. Subsequently, resolutions supporting the move were passed by both the BEST Committee and the BMC General Body.
However, the union alleged that in 2019 the civic administration sent a proposal to the Urban Development Department seeking cancellation of the merger resolution, preventing its implementation. The matter resurfaced during a meeting held in November 2025 amid a hunger strike by the union, where it was decided to place the proposal before the Municipal Commissioner through the BEST administration.
BEST Workers Union General Secretary Shashank Rao said the merger is necessary to ensure the financial stability of the undertaking, protect employees' jobs and maintain reliable public transport services for Mumbai residents. The union has appealed to the Chief Minister to issue directions for the early integration of BEST's budget with the BMC's main budget.
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