After Bank Issue, Mumbai Bus Operator Pays Salary In Coins, Staff Protest

"Several BEST employees stay in areas like Ambarnath, Badlapur, Panvel or Virar-Vasai and travel by suburban locals. It is very inconvenient and risky to carry so much cash, that too in coins," an employee said. Shashank Rai, a union leader, said giving of coins as part of salary was unacceptable

A banking issue with the civic-run Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking has left around 40,000 of its employees getting a sizable portion of their salaries in the form of coins over the past few months, giving their renumeration an unwanted heft. The undertaking, which operates a 4,000-bus strong transport system as well as supplies electricity to some 10 lakh consumers in the metropolis' island district, has been getting massive quantity of coins from passengers by way of ticket fare, as well as cash for power bills. Senior BEST committee member Sunil Ganacharya said the BEST has a huge amount of money lying in its coffers, but no bank is willing to take it from the undertaking's 100-150 collection points after a contract with a leading private sector bank ended last year. Some BEST employees, who did not wish to be named, said that getting a small part of the renumeration in coins was always prevalent.