Let's restore BEST to its glory

There is a need to end privatisation model imposed on utility

- Vidyadhar Date

The state and civic administration are doing a great disservice to the people of Mumbai with policies that have crippled BEST Undertaking. We need to see the situation in a larger context. King Charles, in his address to British parliament last week, announced the re-nationalisation of British Rail, which had been privatised in the mid-1990s. The move failed badly over the years.

Similarly, there is a need to end the privatisation model imposed on BEST. The contract system has failed miserably. This is one reason for the present crisis, as in the UK more subsidies were given to the franchise companies than to BEST. The public ownership of BEST needs to be strengthened. It is still possible to revive BEST in the larger public interest.

The civic administration is exposing itself to ridicule in the international arena, where bus transport is given the pride of place. The red bus is a proud icon of London; its Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan is proud that his father was a bus driver.