One of the oldest and most populated nodes in Navi Mumbai, Vashi has often been cited as the township’s residential and commercial core. This locality is situated close to the sea and enjoys sandy shores and the warm sea breeze. Although the level of humidity is quite high, the weather turns mildly pleasant during the winter months. The Western Ghats run parallel to the east of Vashi, resulting in heavy monsoon rains.
Developed by City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), Vashi offers to its residents several state-of-the-art residential complexes and well developed and maintained infrastructure. This meticulously planned development has aided in its growth and increase in popularity, attracting hordes of investors and consumers.
This neighbourhood has been designed very methodically, with CIDCO splitting the land into individual ‘Sectors’. Sectors 1 through 8 are the residential sectors, housing a multitude of gated communities, offering its residents parks, gardens, and play areas, departmental stores, fitness centres, jogging tracks, swimming pools and gyms. Sector 17 is the seat of commercial activity in Vashi, housing the biggest brands and most popular restaurants. It is the Central Business District of this locality.
The IT hub of Vashi lies in Sector 30, which also contains the largest malls in the vicinity, Inorbit Mall and Centre One Mall, along with a number of Cineplex. Business parks such as Mahape IT Park and Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge City (DAKC) have mushroomed in this sector, providing employment to a large number of young professionals. The largest market in Asia, the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) market is situated in Sector 19. This market boasts of rows of stalls selling fresh produce, meat, spices, food grains, and flowers.
Some of Navi Mumbai’s best educational institutions, like St. Mary’s School, Sacred Heart School, Navi Mumbai School, Oriental Institute of Management, and Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil (KBP) College are located here. The largest hospitals in Vashi are the NMMC hospital, Fortis, and Mahatma Gandhi Mission (MGM).
Connectivity and Transit Points
Vashi’s advantageous location provides it with outstanding connectivity from all sides. Vashi is one of the stations on the Harbour Line of Mumbai’s local railway network, making it easily accessible to critical transit points such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), Andheri, Nerul and Panvel.
The Thane-Belapur Road falls at a distance of hardly 3 km via the Palm Beach Road. In addition, Vashi is connected to the Central suburbs such as Ghatkopar and Vikhroli via the Sion-Panvel Express Highway which start from within the locality.
Local NMMT, BEST, KDMT and MSRTC buses ply from the bus stops at the railway station and at Shivaji Chowk, taking commuters to Bandra, Kurla, Santacruz, Mulund, Deonar, Andheri, Ghatkopar, Wadala, and the Central Business District of Belapur.
The closest airport to Vashi is Sahara International Airport in Mumbai, which lies 41 km away. This can be accessed via taxi-cabs.
Major Landmarks
â—� Inorbit Mall
â—� APMC Market
â—� Sri Ganesh Mandir
â—� Sri Hanuman Mandir
â—� Aai Mata Mandir
Factors for Growth in the Past
Vashi was once an empty, marshy unused mass of land, which was reclaimed by the government in the early 1970s, in an effort to decongest the swelling population of Mumbai.. Development on this node began in 1974, with City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) taking over from the government. CIDCO segregated the land into land parcels, and these were bought by various builders and investors.
By the 1980s, a herd of people began moving from the mainland of the city into Vashi, setting up small businesses and shops in the area. This fuelled commercial activity, and led to an influx of population. The constant increase in population led to the construction of well-designed layouts and excellent social and civic infrastructure, with the establishment of good schools, hospitals, business parks, and malls acting as a catalyst to its growth.
Residential & Commercial Market
Vashi is one of the oldest and most developed nodes of Navi Mumbai. It boasts of a wide variety of accommodation, catering to the assorted needs of the diverse population.
The current prices for multi-storey apartments in Vashi range between Rs 11,750 per sq. ft. and Rs 12,600 per sq. ft. Prices for builder-floor apartments in Vashi range from Rs 11,050 per sq. ft. to Rs 12,400 per sq. ft., witnessing an appreciation in prices by 9 per cent.
The rent for 2 BHK apartments in Vashi range from Rs 12,000 to Rs 30,000 per month, and that of 3 BHK units toggle between Rs 22,000 to Rs 60,000 at Rs 25 per sq ft.
The current price trends for commercial space and property in this locality has been more or less stagnant with mild depreciation since the last quarter. Currently (Q2-2014), prices range between Rs 12,950 per sq. ft. to Rs 16,200 per sq. ft. for commercial office space, and Rs 8,650 per sq. ft. to Rs 35,700 per sq. ft. for commercial shops. Renting commercial space can cost anywhere between Rs 70 to Rs 185 per sq. ft.
Major Challenges
This locality has been built keeping the structure and layout in mind, and provides to its residents various facilities and amenities ensuring a comfortable lifestyle. However, due to its proximity to Western Ghats, this locality faces torrential rains during the monsoons, inflicting damage upon the main roads and by-lanes. Drinking water is a problem that residents seem to be facing as well.
Factors for Growth in the Future
The Navi Mumbai Metro system is being constructed at present, and its development is being overseen by CIDCO. Slated for inauguration by 2016, this metro line is going to have a station at Vashi, taking commuters to the CBD of Belapur, Kharghar, MIDC, Khandeshwar, and other important areas of Navi Mumbai.
CIDCO is also overseeing the construction of Navi Mumbai International Airport, with a direct metro line from Khandeshwar to the airport terminals.
These gigantic infrastructural projects are guaranteed to increase connectivity and accessibility, thus allowing for easier and hassle-free transport. Vashi has seen consistent development in the last few decades, and with infrastructural, commercial and residential projects springing up around the locality, it is going to grow leaps and bounds.
