Moneylife: Mumbai: Tuesday, August
30, 2016.
The Brihan Mumbai
Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking, which is civic transport
and electricity provider public body based in Mumbai, has suffered a massive
loss of Rs905.3 crore on transportation services during FY2015-16 reveals a
reply received under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. RTI activist Anil
Galgali had filed the application seeking information about BEST transport
services.
During
FY2015-16, the BEST incurred a loss of Rs905.3 crores due to higher per
passenger cost at Rs21.41 while its income generated per passenger was just
Rs12.88, reveals the reply received by Galgali. During that period, over 106
crore passengers used BEST services resulting in an income of Rs1,367.11 crore.
However, to run these services, BEST incurred a cost of Rs2,272.41 crore during
FY2015-16, the RTI reveals.
Galgali, in a
letter sent to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Municipal
Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) Commissioner, requested to bail out the
BEST transport services. During FY2014-15 and FY2015-16, the BEST
administration paid Rs139.7 crore and Rs136.8 crore, respectively as tax to
various authorities.
During 2011
and 2016, the BEST administration 11 times wrote to Urban Development Ministry,
Transport Ministry to either reduce or waive off taxes it pays to different
authorities. However, the successive governments ignored this, Galgali alleges.
"When in
2014-15, the BEST wanted to increase fares, the MCGM gave it a grant of Rs150
crore for not going ahead with fare increase. However, now even the MCGM is not
paying any heed to the demands of BEST. To strengthen the public transport
system in Mumbai, the government should constitute a separate fund, which can
be used to bail out undertakings like BEST, which are used by lakhs of
commuters on daily basis,” Galgali said.
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