Overview

• Sonia Sethi, 56, was named on Friday and has taken charge as BEST general manager, the first full-time holder since Anil Diggikar’s transfer after the December 2024 Kurla bus crash.
• The role cycled through interim hands for months, including a cancelled posting for Harshdeep Kamble and temporary charges for Ashwini Joshi, S V R Srinivas and state GST chief Asheesh Sharma.
• BEST’s 2025–26 budget reports cumulative liabilities exceeding ₹9,286 crore across its transport and electricity supply divisions.
• Operations remain under strain with 2,783 buses in service, including 875 electric vehicles, even as the overall fleet continues to contract.
• Sethi moves from the relief and rehabilitation department, where Vinita Ved-Singal has been appointed principal secretary, and opposition leader Sachin Sawant questioned the timing during flood response.