Navi Mumbai: Commuters are expressing frustration as Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has not opened the Rs 190-crore bus depot despite its completion a year ago. The existing Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) bus depot at Sector 9-A, Vashi, was shut down in October 2019 for the construction of a terminal, forcing commuters to queue on main roads for buses in heavy rain and scorching sun. Under mounting pressure, the civic administration is considering opening the facility before the Ganesh festival. A citizens’ forum called Human Chain has written to the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking his intervention. “It is a matter of shame for Navi Mumbai, touted as the city of the 21st Century, that the taxpayers are made to wait on the roadside without any shelter,” said Human Chain Convenor B N Kumar, questioning when the commuters will get freedom from these worries. Civic authorities earlier announced that the Vashi bus facility would be inaugurated on Republic Day in 2023, but NMMT missed all subsequent deadlines. NMMC Commissioner Kailas Shinde said that he has sought the Chief Minister’s slot to inaugurate the terminal. “Though the contract is being finalised for leasing out the entire complex, we will at least open the bus depot for the commuters well before the Ganesh festival so that the devotees heading towards their native places can board the buses from the depot.” Airoli MLA and Forest Minister Ganesh Naik previously stated that the depot would open by the monsoon. NMMC has invested over Rs 190 crore from taxpayers’ funds in constructing the 21-floor bus depot-cum-commercial complex. However, residents highlighted the issue of the massive structure remaining unused. “It is a criminal waste of money that the building is not netting any gains to NMMT,” Kumar said. He added that the civic body could have earned Rs 14.25 crore a year even at a savings bank interest rate of 7.5%. Kumar has long questioned the decision to launch the 21-storeyed complex amid a glut in office spaces in the city. Two major malls on Palm Beach Road have been converted into shopping-cum-office complexes. Vashi-based homemaker Vibha Syunry pointed out that the bus depot, equipped with shaded stands for different routes, is much more convenient for people than the current confusing system that forces them to wait in dust, rain, or sun. “This is commonsense which does not seem to work,” she said. Civic rights activist Madhu Shankar wondered what local political leaders, both former and aspiring corporators, are doing about the depot facility. “Sadly, the people are left to fend for themselves,” she lamented. Senior citizens, women, and children are compelled to rush for buses amidst utter confusion, said real estate consultant Naresh Shah. Commuters said that the bunching of buses also creates traffic snarls between Shivaji Chowk and the fire brigade signal.
