MUMBAI, June 22 -- After a 3-day strike, BEST buses will be back on the roads today. The BEST Sanyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, a collective representing 12 BEST employee unions, including wet-lease operators, in a statement on Sunday morning, had said that the agitation would continue until the government gave a definite commitment on their demands. On Sunday night, in a meeting with deputy CM Eknath Shinde, transport minister Pratap Sarnaik and union leader Sachin Ahir, the government acceded to many of these. The unions had raised a series of demands, including the absorption of wet-lease employees into BEST, procurement of 5,000 BEST-owned buses, fresh staff recruitment, promotions for senior employees and protection of BEST properties from sale or long-term lease. They are also seeking a merger of BEST's budget with the BMC's main budget and payment of pending statutory dues to retired employees. The decision to call off the strike came after the state government agreed to key demands, including a monthly wage hike of Rs.3,000 for permanent employees and Rs.2,000 for contract workers, along with the release of pending gratuity payments from the current financial year's budget. It also assured improvements in canteen and washroom facilities for employees. Announcing the withdrawal of the strike, union leader Sachin Ahir appealed to all employees to immediately resume duties. The committee said that discussions on the remaining demands would continue over the next 15 days while Shinde assured that every effort would be made to improve employee welfare and strengthen BEST financially. A BEST official said that they operated 65 Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses to facilitate candidates appearing for the NEET examinations at various Mumbai centres. "About 95 MSRTC buses were put on different routes across Mumbai," he said. This utilisation was in response to BEST's request for interim arrangements on late Saturday. The strike led to a sharp increase in ridership on Mumbai Metro routes and added pressure on the suburban railway network. Commuters reported long waits for taxis and auto rickshaws and higher travel expenses. BEST officials said the industrial court had passed an ad interim order on Thursday restraining employees of the undertaking and workers represented by unions under the BEST Kamgar Sanyukt Kruti Samiti, including wet-lease operators, from proceeding with the strike from midnight of June 18. Additionally, the Maharashtra government also invoked MESMA to restrain the agitators. On June 19, the stir's first day, only 48 of 2,766 buses plied on Mumbai's roads. The next day, none showed up. Several BEST buses were vandalised by the trade unions to discourage those employees reporting for duty. On the second day, the turnout dropped further to only four buses during the day's first half. On Sunday, BEST had to ask MSRTC to divert its fleet....