MUMBAI, June 20 -- Only 48 of BEST's fleet of 2,766 buses operated on Friday -- the first day of an indefinite strike called by the BEST Joint Workers' Action Committee, the apex body of employee unions -- disrupting the commute schedules of Mumbaikars. Only 28 buses plied on BEST routes of which some faced instances of stone pelting, forcing them to return to the depots. The union called the strike to pressurise the administration to fulfil its pending demands -- such as merger of BMC and BEST budgets, clearing pending dues of retired workers, and to do away with wet lease buses and bring them under BEST's ambit. While Trushna Vishwasrao, chairperson of the BEST committee, said an aid package for BEST has already been cleared, Uday Ambonkar, president of BEST workers' committee said the strike will continue until they get an audience with the transport minister and chief minister. PXX...