Maharashtra: Departmental mix-up leads to announcement of two BEST GMs
Asheesh Sharma given charge of post
3 min read
The BEST undertaking has been functioning without a full-time general manager since the start of the year. (Representational/File photo)A lack of coordination between departments led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde led to two IAS officials being appointed as the General Manager (GM) of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking.
On Tuesday, the urban development department led by Shinde issued an order giving additional charge to Dr Ashwini Joshi as the GM. Within hours, The general administration department (GAD) led by Fadnavis issued an order giving additional charge of the post to State GST commissioner Asheesh Sharma.
No official from either of the departments replied to queries over the miscommunication between the departments. “Ideally, an order for appointment is issued by the GAD. In some cases, the department secretary issues the order but the file has to be approved by the Chief Minister. I don’t know what happened in this case,” said a senior officer from the GAD.
Initially, Dr Joshi, a 2006-batch IAS officer from the Maharashtra cadre, was announced to take over the position on an additional charge following the retirement of former GM S V R Srinivas. However, that decision was abruptly reversed.
Sharma, who is currently the Commissioner of Goods and Services Taxes (GST), Maharashtra, will take additional charge as GM of BEST until a regular appointment is finalised by the state government.
The BEST undertaking has been functioning without a full-time general manager since the start of the year. The previous full-time GM, Anil Diggikar, was transferred in December last year following the Kurla bus accident. Since then, the position has seen a series of temporary appointments, with senior IAS officers holding additional charge.
An initial order to appoint Harshdeep Kamble as GM was later withdrawn without explanation. Before this, Srinivas had taken over as the GM in an additional capacity in February 2025.
BEST, which operates Mumbai’s public bus services, continues to face mounting challenges, including financial strain, an ageing fleet in need of modernisation, and concerns over service reliability and efficiency.
The BEST undertaking operates one of the largest public transport networks in Mumbai, serving more than 2.5 million commuters daily across the city and its suburbs. The undertaking plays a crucial role in the city’s daily commute.
Criticising the lack of coordination in this appointment, opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray in a post on X said, “Shouldn’t the DCM have first discussed this with CM? Shouldn’t the GAD be issuing these orders? Why should our State suffer in this ego war? Imagine, if this basic coordination is so dead, these are the people who are supposed to be leading our state!”
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