Mumbai:
After the triple blasts on July 13, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) officials have decided to reinforce the safety of their 41 lakh-odd daily commuters.
As part of the security reinforcement drive, they have appointed four more flying squads in addition to the existing four.
In the coming days, they will also install CCTVs in their 4,700 buses and will keep dedicated staff for monitoring the footage in a control room.
Sunil Shinde, chairman, BEST committee, said, "The step has been taken after the serial blasts in Mumbai last month, when one of our stops was damaged.
The strength of the flying squad will be increased, and the team will patrol the city the whole day and inspect bus stops and passengers at a venture."
He added that within three months, all the buses would be fitted with CCTVs to monitor any suspicious occurrences inside the vehicles.
A flying squad is a group of 2-3 BEST staffers, who roam the city and check bus stops and passengers with metal detectors.
There will be two cameras installed in a bus; one in the front and the other at the back, so all activities can be recorded for scrutiny.
Till now, nearly 1,500 buses have been equipped with the surveillance cameras. There are nearly 4,000 BEST bus stops in the city.