MUMBAI, June 19 -- The Rs.1,000-crore aid package for the BEST undertaking has been cleared by the civic standing committee, after it was held back on June 12. The committee cleared the package on Thursday after the undertaking's chief accounts officer and financial advisor, Prabhakar Sawant, submitted a statement on the BEST's financials. At its meeting on June 12, the committee had withheld the BEST's annual aid package for 2026-27, demanding an explanation on the series of accidents involving BEST buses, many resulting in fatalities. It had also sought an explanation on how the BEST intended to utilise the funds. "Seventy per cent of the aid will be utilised for clearing pending employee dues, while the remaining 30% will be used as working capital to adjust the deficit for maintenance costs. Of the Rs.1,000 crore aid received in 2025-26, Rs.606 crore went towards gratuity and final employee bills, including Rs.112 crore towards pending COVID allowances outstanding since 2020," said Sawant, proposing to a similar pattern for the current financial year. While pensions are being paid through the Employees Provident Fund Office, BEST owes its retired employees significant dues. "Of the Rs.500 crore, we have earmarked Rs.350 crore to clear gratuity benefits for retired employees until May 2024," a BEST official said. Subsequently, pending gratuity dues for retired employees for 2024-26 amount to Rs.1,200 crore," the official added. The BEST has 24,000 employees including both the transport and electricity divisions. Incidentally, although the standing committee claimed it had stalled Rs.1,000 crore, the BEST administration said it had received Rs.500 crore on June 5, prior to the committee's approval. Standing Committee chairperson Prabhakar Shinde explained that CM Devendra Fadnavis has been personally overseeing a package to revive the BEST from its financial issues and major announcements in that direction could be expected soon. Against the Rs.1,000 crore sanctioned, the BEST had demanded Rs.3,941 crore for 2026-27, to clear retired employees' dues worth Rs.1,502 crore and to manage the proposed Rs.2,439-crore budgetary deficit of its transport division. Separately, the BEST has also been seeking capital infusion of Rs.5,056 crore towards buying 3,088 new buses....