Navi Mumbai News: Seawoods Daycare Center Remains Shut For 3 Years, Activists Blame NMMC Negligence

A building constructed by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) in Seawoods Sector 48 reserved to be used as day care center has remained non-functional since 2021, drawing criticism from citizens and activists for administrative negligence and misuse of public funds.

The structure constructed to serve as a daycare center for working families is alleged to have remained closed, due to inaction by the Navi Mumbai municipal corporation - Social Development Department.

The issue came to the forefront during a recent Janata Darbar held by Forest Minister Ganesh Naik, where former corporator Vishal Dolas presented detailed evidence of the prolonged inaction. He also revealed a proposal by civic officials to lease the facility to the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) for a nominal amount of Rs12,000 , a move he claimed would defeat the building’s intended purpose.

Dolas criticized the administration’s approach, saying, “The building was constructed for a daycare center at approximately 50 lakhs, not just an anganwadi. Reducing it to a basic child care unit is a gross underutilization of resources.” He also questioned the logic behind shelving the daycare plan, despite the growing need for such services in the urban locality.

When the corporator raised the matter with ICDS, official is cited to the lack of a government-issued SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for daycare centers as the reason for the delay. However, Dolas and local citizens argued that such technicalities should not come in the way of serving public needs, especially when infrastructure is already in place.

Taking serious note of the matter, Minister Ganesh Naik ordered the immediate opening of the nursery and reprimanded the concerned officials. “This building has been lying unused for years. This negligence cannot continue. Open it without further delay,” he said.

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