Navi Mumbai: Shut since six years for renovation and ready since a year and half, NMMC has opened the Vashi bus depot after the model code of conduct was implemented, bringing long-awaited relief to thousands of daily commuters using Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) services.
According to sources, corporation had been delaying the inauguration due to the lack of availability of 'politcial leaders' who had been wanting to inaugurate the Rs 190 crore project. Finally, when the model code of conduct came into place on Monday, the administration decided to start it's operations.
The Rs 190-crore, 21-storeyed bus depot at Vashi, which had been completed over 18 months ago, finally begun operations from Monday evening. During the prolonged delay, the old bus station was demolished, forcing commuters to board buses from the busy Vashi–Kopar Khairane main road, exposing them to traffic hazards, sun and rain.
"The buses coming from the direction of Mumbai, Panvel and Vashi railway station, would pass through the depot. While the buses coming from the direction of Thane and Ghansoli, would have a bus depot at Vishnudas Bhave auditorium and the bus won't enter the depot," an official from NMMT said.
Initially budgeted at Rs 140 crore in 2018, has seen costs rise to Rs 190 crore. The 21-storey building, constructed at the former Vashi bus depot site, had missed three completion deadlines.The bus depot was shut in October 2019. The structure features a five-floor lower tier and 16-floor upper tier, with 75% area designated for bus movement. Commercial spaces include restaurants, banquet halls, and offices.
Welcoming the opening, civil rights activist B N Kumar said the start of operations would finally provide commuters with sheltered and organised boarding facilities. However, he termed it unacceptable that a completed public facility remained shut for months merely for a ceremonial inauguration. “Public convenience should not be held hostage to VIP events. The Chief Minister could have inaugurated it remotely,” he said, adding, "Several key infrastructure projects in Navi Mumbai, including the Nerul railway overbridge and the Vashi fish market, had begun operations without formal inaugurations. The essential public services need not wait for ceremonial events to serve citizens."
Activists also reiterated concerns over the absence of an inter-state bus terminal, calling it a serious civic planning failure. Kumar urged the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) to earmark space within the Vashi depot premises itself to accommodate an inter-state terminal and address the long-standing problem.
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