Navi Mumbai: A year after its completion, the Rs 190-crore state-of-the-art Vashi bus depot remains unopened, leaving thousands of commuters without shelter and forcing them to queue on busy roads under the blazing sun and pouring rain, claim activists.
Old depot shut in 2019
The existing Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) depot at Sector 9-A, Vashi, was shut down in October 2019. Since then, passengers have been boarding buses from makeshift stops, a situation that citizen forum Human Chain has called “shameful” for a city projected as a model urban hub.
Missed deadlines and public ire
“It is a matter of shame for Navi Mumbai, touted as the city of the 21st century, that taxpayers are made to wait on the roadside without any shelter,” said activist B N Kumar. “When will the commuters get freedom from these worries?”
The civic authorities had earlier announced that the Vashi bus facility would be inaugurated on Republic Day, but the deadline has been repeatedly missed. Even Airoli MLA and Forest Minister Ganesh Naik had said the depot would open by last monsoon.
Costly idle investment
NMMC has invested over Rs 190 crore from public funds into constructing the 21-storey bus depot-cum-commercial complex. Activists point out that the idle building not only fails to serve commuters but also represents a major financial loss. “Even at a savings bank interest rate of 7.5%, the civic body would have earned Rs 14.25 crore annually from the invested amount,” Kumar said.
He also questioned the decision to build such a massive commercial structure when the city already has a glut of office spaces, with two major malls on Palm Beach Road converted into shopping-cum-office complexes, and several new office projects rising in the Thane-Belapur industrial belt.
Commuter inconvenience and traffic woes
Local residents echoed the frustration. “A dedicated bus depot with shaded stands is far more convenient than making people run in dust, rain or sun. This is commonsense which does not seem to work,” said Vashi resident Vibha Syunry.
Civic rights activist Madhu Shankar asked what local leaders and corporators were doing to address the delay, while senior citizen Naresh Shah said the lack of a depot was worsening traffic snarls between Shivaji Chowk and the fire brigade signal due to bunching of buses.
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NMMC promises opening soon
When contacted, an Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation spokesperson said: “Even as the completion of exterior seemed to be over, there were a lot of internal works being done. The depot has received an OC a month and a half back and inauguration would be done soon.”
