Over 33,000 employees of Mumbai's civic transport undertaking BEST went on an indefinite strike since midnight over their demands, including higher wages.<br />''<br />''The strike is causing inconvenience to nearly 25-lakh daily commuters. The agitating staff did not take out any bus from all 27 depots, even as the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) administration and an industrial court declared the strike as "illegal".<br />''<br />''In order to provide relief to daily commuters, MSRTC is running 40 special buses in the city. The BEST has a fleet of over 3,200 buses which criss-cross the metropolis and also operate services in the neighbouring Thane district and Navi Mumbai.<br />''<br />''It is the second-biggest mode of transport in Mumbai after local trains, which ferry over 80-lakh passengers every day.<br />''<br />''The BEST management has issued internal circulars, warning employees of stringent action if they participated in the strike. It has also threatened to invoke the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA) against them.<br />