Around 100 bus stops to be cleared of encroachments

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) management has decided to clear encroachments at nearly 100 bus stops that have been invaded by anti-social elements.

Of the 6,000 bus stops in the city, 2,000 are designer ones while the remaining are mere pole stops. Sources said that these designer bus stops, especially in south Mumbai, have been seeing men congregate to take drugs or consume alcohol.

BEST committee member Kedar Hombalkar said that many women had put forth the complaint that they found it unsafe to wait for buses at these bus stops and the situation worsened at night. “Women have complained that many a time, men, mostly young men, are seen taking drugs or sitting with bottles of alcohol with their buddies. At night, the presence of these elements is even more marked,” he said.

In a bid to raise revenue, the BEST has introduced designer bus stops in south Mumbai and allowed private companies to rent out these stops for advertisements; however this has backfired on the undertaking. “We need to identify these stops and then work with the police to patrol them,” said Mr Hombalkar.

BEST general manager Jagdish Patil said a list of such bus stops had been sent to the BMC, which in turn had circulated it to the wards. “Local civic officials will be coordinating with the local police and making sure encroachments are removed and the bus stops are monitored for the safety of commuters,” he said.

BEST is also seeing unrest within the committee over finalisation of advertisement rates at these stops.