Maratha protest costs MSRTC Rs 46 lakh

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) sufffered a loss of approximate Rs 1.5 lakh on Thursday in course of the Mumbai bandh called by the Maratha Kranti Morcha.

The BEST plans to file a case to claim the damages. According to a BEST official, not a single penny has been recovered from the loss caused owing to several protests.

Apart from BEST, the MSRTC has incurred losses worth Rs 46 lakh in the past five days as 171 of its buses were damaged due to the ongoing protests. An MSRTC official informed that two of its buses were damaged on Thursday which added one lakh in losses.

Sources in MSRTC said that the corporation is in process of filing an FIR for every damaged bus in respective police stations across the state. However the exercise seems to be futile as the corporation has not received a single penny for any damages in past.

“25 BEST buses across the city were damaged including one was torched at Mankhurd, due to which Rs 1,45,480 was lost,” said an official of BEST. Of these, 14 buses damaged due to stone pelting, nine bus tyres were deflated and two buses were affected due to fire.

He added, “Although we are filing the cases of recovering of money but we have never received single penny from the loss due to damages.”  

The band has also witnessed in reduction of the daily commuters leading to the loss of close to Rs 50 lakh. The official said, “BEST earning on July 24 was Rs 3,04,60,809, while on the day of Mumbai ban, traffic earning was reduced to Rs 2,55,89,199.”

Meanwhile the Central Railway, which suspended 56 services on Trans-Harbour line, claimed that they did not face much loss, as most of the commuters are monthly pass users who were allowed to use the Harbour Line during the Maratha reservation protests.