Mumbai: The BrihanMumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) and the state run Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MERTC) will arrange local transport in Greater Mumbai for emergency service providers from Sunday night till further orders. BMC Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi, on Sunday, issued an order under rule 10 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, so that the essential services will not be hampered despite the lock down until March 31 to avoid the spread of coronavirus.
Pardeshi’s order comes after the Indian Railways announced the suspension of suburban railway services and another announcement by the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray that BEST and private buses will go off the roads in the city.
He has directed that all essential service providers, including BMC staff, police staff, electric distribution staff, grocers, vegetables and grains shops, telephone, internet providers, medical/pharmacy stores and all municipal, government and private hospital doctors and other staff will travel in BEST and MSRTC buses in the city.
In order to reduce the load on MSRTC and BEST services, Pardeshi has directed that BMC, police, all electric supply companies, all hospitals, telephone and internet providers and grocery and vegetable providers to use their own transportation for their emergency staff. However, organisations offering dedicated staff transport will have to provide information about their bus numbers only on e-mail to the state transport commissioner and to the BMC’s director of disaster management.
