Mumbai: A tragic accident occurred at the Worli bus depot on Monday, Oct 14, when a technician working as a wet lease operator for the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) lost his life while inflating a bus tyre. The deceased, identified as 30-year-old Ganesh Devendra, was employed by Tata as part of their wet lease operations for BEST. Ganesh had joined the company on June 20 of this year, working as a tyreman.

What Exactly Happened?

According to a Hindustan Times report quoting BEST spokesperson, the incident happened while Ganesh was filling air in a bus tyre at the wet lease operator’s workshop at the Worli depot. Unfortunately, the tyre exploded, throwing him back with great force. He sustained severe head injuries and immediately lost consciousness. The wet lease staff present at the scene rushed him to KEM Hospital, where doctors declared him dead at 4:05 pm.

A postmortem was conducted the following day on October 15, and his funeral was held on October 16. Sources mentioned that Ganesh’s family lived outside of Mumbai, which led to a one-day delay in holding the funeral.

Calls For Safety And Training From Unions

In the wake of this tragic event, unions have raised concerns regarding the training provided to wet lease technical staff, emphasizing the need for more comprehensive safety training to prevent such accidents, according to the report. On the other hand, BEST administration officials have stated that regular training is already conducted for wet lease employees. Nevertheless, an inquiry will be launched to investigate the circumstances of this particular incident.

The fatal accident occurred amid an already tense situation for BEST, as they are currently dealing with issues related to another wet lease operator. This operator had recently withdrawn a fleet of 280 buses due to disagreements with BEST over several unresolved issues, adding to the challenges faced by the transport service.