105 MSRTC bus staff contract COVID-19 after working in Mumbai

    Pune, Oct 27 (PTI) At least 105 drivers and conductors
of the MSRTC's Sangli division, who were deployed in BEST
buses in Mumbai earlier this month, have tested positive for
COVID-19 after returning to Sangli, an official said on
Tuesday.
    The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST),
the Mumbai civic body's transport wing, had hired buses,
drivers and conductors from the Maharashtra State Road
Transport Corporation (MSRTC) on contract for easing the woes
of commuters in the state capital.
    As part of the contract, nearly 400 drivers and
conductors and 100 buses were sent to Mumbai from the MSRTC's
Sangli division in the second week of October.
    "Out of these 400 staff members, 105 drivers and
conductors have tested positive for COVID-19 so far. All these
employees underwent the antigen test after they returned to
the division on October 25," the official from the MSRTC's
Sangli division said.
    The drivers and conductors who tested positive for the
viral infection have been shifted to various COVID-19
facilities in Sangli, the official said.
    A driver who tested positive for coronavirus
complained that they faced issues related to accommodation and
food during their stay in Mumbai.
    "For a couple of days, we had to sleep on road as
there are no restrooms in their depots," the driver said.
    "Some of our drivers and conductors caught cold and
fever, but they were not allowed to return home. After we
complained, we were shifted to a lodge in Goregaon," he said
on condition of anonymity.
    Sangli's divisional transport superintendent Alam
Desai said the drivers and conductors faced some issues only
on the first day of their stay in Mumbai, but they were
shifted to lodges from the second day. PTI SPK
GK GK

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)