Lakhs of Mumbaikars continued to suffer today too, on the third day of an indefinite strike called by the employees of the city's civic transport undertaking. Not a single bus of the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) plied on Mumbai roads since morning today despite the Shiv Sena-affiliated union, BEST Kamgar Sena, withdrawing from the protest. Commuters complained of auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers charging above the normal rates. <br />''<br />''Nearly 32,000 BEST employees are on an indefinite strike since Tuesday over various demands, including higher salaries and merger of the budget of the loss-making undertaking with that of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The state government moved quickly to invoke the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA) against the striking BEST employees, while its management asked them to end the stir and come to the negotiation table.<br />'' <br />''The BEST administration had on Wednesday cracked the whip, issuing notices to over 2,000 staffers to vacate houses provided by the undertaking. It also held dialogue with BEST workers' union leader Shashank Rao, but it did not yield result. <br />''<br />''Meanwhile, the Central Railway and Western Railway have decided to operate additional suburban trains for the convenience of commuters. 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. It is the second-biggest mode of transport in Mumbai after local trains, which ferry over 80 lakh passengers every day.<br />