The Maharashtra Government Friday appointed senior IAS officer Sonia Sethi as the new General Manager (GM) of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking.
Sethi, 56, is the first full-time GM of BEST since the transfer of Anil Diggikar in December 2024, following the Kurla bus accident on December 9, 2024, that killed seven people and injured 40. Since then, the crucial post has been handled by multiple officials on an interim basis.
A 1994-batch officer, Sethi previously served as the additional chief secretary (relief and rehabilitation). She will now be tasked with steering BEST through its financial and operational crisis. In her place, Vinita Ved-Singal has been appointed as principal secretary (relief and rehabilitation).
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.
Initially, Harshdeep Kamble was named to the position, but his appointment was withdrawn within a day. Later, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officer Ashwini Joshi, Dharavi Redevelopment Officer on Special Duty (OSD) S V R Srinivas, and state GST Commissioner Asheesh Sharma were each given temporary charge, with the role shifting hands repeatedly.
BEST has been facing mounting financial woes which have made officials hesitant to take up the post. The undertaking declared cumulative liabilities of Rs 9,286 crore in its 2025–26 budget.
