The BEST on Wednesday, felicitated conductors Mahendra Ghule (35), and Maruti Borade (51) along with driver A H Khan (47) for keeping their presence of mind when their bus was hijacked by Rahul Raj.

After the incident, Borade had the option of changing his route as senior conductors in BEST have the privilege of changing their route every four months. However he preferred working on the same route. Borade says, “I am still comfortable with the route but yes whenever my bus halts on the Bail Bazaar bus stop, my heart beats faster.”

After minor repair and cleaning of the bus, BEST re-introduced it on the same route-from Kurla station to Andheri station (Agarkar Chowk) via Bail Bazaar. Ghule works on different routes, as per the requirement of the staff while A H Khan, the driver of the bus, has opted for a different route.

“The bus was in the police station for almost a week. It was handed over to us on November 4. After doing some minor repair work, we re-introduced the bus on the same route,” said deputy spokesperson, BEST Sumitra Samant.

While work is on as usual for the three men, on a personal front life has certainly changed for the trio. “After the incident, a South Indian couple stopped and congratulated me. I suddenly felt very special. Our friends and relatives often advise us to be alert fearing an attack over us,” says Borade who lives in Airoli. “After the near fatal incident, my colleagues appreciate me for my courage and I am doted on by the people in my chawl in Kalwa. No one would have given me that importance otherwise,” says Ghule, father of two kids, who waited for nine long years to get his coveted job in BEST.

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