Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 19 (ANI): Former Shiv Sena Member of Parliament Rahul Shewale on Friday wrote to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, calling for immediate state intervention to resolve the ongoing BEST bus strike in Mumbai.
Expressing deep concern for thousands of students appearing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) on June 21, Shewale emphasised that the strike poses a significant threat to their ability to reach examination centres on time.
In the letter, Shewale noted that lakhs of commuters, including medical aspirants who rely on the public bus service, are facing immense difficulties due to the service being at a standstill.
"Thousands of students who are scheduled to appear for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) on 21 June 2026 are likely to encounter serious problems. Many students from Mumbai and the suburban areas rely heavily on BEST buses to reach their examination centres," he noted in his letter.
He noted that the NEET examination is extremely important for students pursuing medical education and is a decisive examination for their future. To ensure that transportation hurdles do not hinder students' participation in the crucial NEET exam.
Shewale requested the state government to deploy special shuttle services, school buses, or other public transport on routes where BEST buses are unavailable, ensure additional transport measures are operational specifically for the day of the examination until the strike is resolved and initiate urgent discussions with the BEST administration, labour unions, and other stakeholders to bring an end to the strike.
"Special shuttle services, school buses or other public transport facilities may be arranged as required for students," he added.
"Your prompt intervention will help alleviate the anxiety and stressful atmosphere prevailing among students and their parents due to the upcoming examination. It will ensure that no student is deprived of the opportunity to appear for this important examination merely because of transportation difficulties," he said.
"Therefore, keeping all these aspects in mind, I request you to urgently intervene in this matter and hold discussions with the BEST administration and the concerned employee organisations so that the strike can be resolved at the earliest," he said.
The NEET examination held last month was cancelled following allegations of question paper leakage, after which authorities announced that the re-examination would be conducted on June 21.
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This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
