Mumbai's annual ritual for inconveniencing commuters is now over. The annual B.E.S.T. strike has been called off by the union. Life (and traffic) can now go back to normal. Over the last decade, I cannot recall a single year without B.E.S.T.'s strike.
This year was no different...private bus operators and autorickshaws and taxis made a quick buck overcharging commuters wherever possible. I travelled by one such private bus paying Rs. 10 for a journey that would cost Rs. 4 by the B.E.S.T. bus.
For maximum effect, these strikes are typically organized during important days of the year (for example, during S.S.C. examinations or during Diwali, etc). So, this year it was a surprise that it was held in the month of April when most school and college students had finished their examinations. Maybe dear Sharad Rao's (union leader's) children are in S.S.C. or H.S.C. this year...or maybe his children go to school / college by car. I remember when there was a strike by B.M.C. (again led by Sharad Rao) a newspaper had reported how his apartment in Goregaon still had water supply 24 hours a day, while all the other areas in Mumbai had to suffer.
Like some of the other years, this year's strike was also declared as "illegal" (since public transport is regarded as an "essential service"). However, no action would dare to be taken against the striking workers...Sharad Rao had threatened to "shut down" the city if any action was taken against them. Hmmmm...there could be a law violation there...how long before Mumbaikars shut that guy up.
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