Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) officials have provided written commitments regarding the public use of the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Hall in Vashi, leading Pradip Waghmare, President of Swablambi Samajik Sewabhawi Santha, to call off his indefinite hunger strike on January 21, 2025. Waghmare had been protesting for the hall's opening, which had remained unused for years despite a previous promise from the NMMC to make it available for the community.
The cultural hall, which had remained unused for years, was being utilised as a storage space for the NMMC Health Department, despite a promise made in April 2023 to open the facility for public use. Frustrated by the corporation's failure to fulfill its earlier commitment, Waghmare resumed his hunger strike on January 20.
Waghmare's protest attracted attention and support from various political leaders and social activists. In response, NMMC officials, including Bhagwat Doiphode from the Property Department and City Engineer Shirish Ardawad, provided written assurances. They confirmed that the auditorium on the fourth floor would be beautified and opened for public use soon. Furthermore, plans were announced to establish a dialysis center on the first floor and a gymnasium on the second floor, with both projects expected to be completed by November 2025.
“This is a victory for the public and a step towards ensuring that the civic hall is utilized for community service," Waghmare stated after calling off the hunger strike.
According to Waghmare, the cultural center has auditoriums and other facilities where citizens from Vashi can hold family functions, including weddings. The four-story building has been ready since before the COVID-19 pandemic but could not be opened due to the pandemic. However, even after the pandemic, the newly constructed building continued to be used for storing health department materials, including COVID-19 kits. He added that the entire cultural center had been turned into a warehouse with old uniforms of doctors and nurses, mattresses, PPE kits, and pill boxes from the NMMC Health Department.
After the 2023 protest, the medical equipment and COVID kits were removed, but the hall remains non-functional. Waghmare emphasized that the cultural hall was built for the convenience of citizens and is equipped with a range of facilities, including provisions for elevators. The building is located near the Vashi-Koparkhairane Road. “Residents of Vashi have to spend lakhs of rupees renting a hotel for a marriage ceremony, but they could do so at a much lower cost at NMMC’s cultural center,” Waghmare said.
The NMMC has promised to issue a tender for the necessary work soon, and citizens are hopeful that the project will be completed on time, bringing much-needed public amenities to the area.