Diesel price increase will worsen BEST, says Undertaking

The BEST is already facing losses owing to non-functioning ticket machines. File Pic

Rs 26 crore a year - this is the financial loss BEST will incur if the diesel price hike continues, according to the Undertaking, which added that this will lead to complications, worsening its precarious financial condition. The BEST is already facing losses owing to non-functioning ticket machines.

Also, BEST Committee Chairman Ashish Chemburkar has put the Undertaking's annual loss due to petrol price hike at Rs 13 lakh. The Undertaking buys petrol for its other fleets of vehicles - jeeps, cars and vans.

Current price of petrol is Rs 86.23 per litre, while diesel costs Rs 73.78 per litre. The Congress and Shiv Sena have asked if the administration will seek financial help from the state government to reduce the burden of fuel price. Chemburkar said, "We will write to the state government to give exemption in cess on diesel, so that the loss can be curtailed."

Sena corporator and committee member Anil Kokil said there was about 3,000 litres of petrol lying at a Dadar workshop after a wall collapse and urged the administration to make use of it.

Also Read: Mumbai: Pay More For Your BEST Bus Ride

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