Sonia Sethi appointed GM of BEST
The 56-year-old is the first full-time general manager of BEST since Anil Diggikar’s transfer following the December 2024 Kurla bus accident.
Mumbai: After over nine months, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has a full-time general manager (GM), with the Maharashtra government on Friday appointing IAS officer Sonia Sethi to the post.
The 56-year-old is the first full-time BEST GM since Anil Diggikar’s transfer following the December 2024 Kurla bus accident, in which seven people were killed and 40 others injured. The post had remained under temporary charge since then.
Harshdeep Kamble, who was initially posted to the position, had his appointment cancelled within a day. Subsequently, senior BMC official Ashwini Joshi and, later, SVR Srinivas, officer on special duty (OSD) for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project, were assigned additional charge. After Srinivas’s retirement, GST commissioner Asheesh Sharma held the role on an interim basis.
According to state government officials, IAS officers have been reluctant to take up the post due to BEST’s financial challenges. A senior bureaucrat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “Until 2016, profits from BEST’s electricity supply division helped offset losses from the transport division. The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) discontinued that cross-subsidisation. Now, BEST is struggling financially, and few officers want to take on the challenge.”
In its annual budget for FY 2025-26, BEST declared a total cumulative liability of over ₹9,286 crore for both its transport and electricity supply divisions. The undertaking operates 2,783 buses, including 875 electric vehicles, some under wet lease agreements. Despite electrification efforts, BEST’s fleet size is shrinking, adding to the organisation’s operational challenges.
{{/usCountry}}In its annual budget for FY 2025-26, BEST declared a total cumulative liability of over ₹9,286 crore for both its transport and electricity supply divisions. The undertaking operates 2,783 buses, including 875 electric vehicles, some under wet lease agreements. Despite electrification efforts, BEST’s fleet size is shrinking, adding to the organisation’s operational challenges.
{{/usCountry}}Sethi, a 1994-batch officer, was earlier serving as the additional chief secretary of the state government’s relief and rehabilitation department. In her place, the state government has appointed Vinita Ved-Singal as the new principal secretary of the relief and rehabilitation department.
{{/usCountry}}Sethi, a 1994-batch officer, was earlier serving as the additional chief secretary of the state government’s relief and rehabilitation department. In her place, the state government has appointed Vinita Ved-Singal as the new principal secretary of the relief and rehabilitation department.
{{/usCountry}}Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant questioned the timing of Sethi’s transfer from the relief and rehabilitation department. “Maharashtra is facing a severe crisis due to floods in several areas. Why has the state government transferred Sonia Sethi at such a crucial time? Is this a routine transfer or a punitive action? The new officer will require time to understand the department, potentially delaying critical relief work,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant questioned the timing of Sethi’s transfer from the relief and rehabilitation department. “Maharashtra is facing a severe crisis due to floods in several areas. Why has the state government transferred Sonia Sethi at such a crucial time? Is this a routine transfer or a punitive action? The new officer will require time to understand the department, potentially delaying critical relief work,” he said.
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