Museum or forest? Battle begins over fate of closed power plant site ( Indian Express 22 February 2010)

The Indraprastha thermal power plant, in the heart of Delhi, has recently shut down its polluting operations, but now a debate has begun over the room it leaves vacant.
The Delhi government is now considering the uses of the sprawling campus, which is prime property on the banks of the River Yamuna.
The plant was decommissioned after it was decided that thermal power generation within city limits was harmful for public health — but the outcome is not what the green brigade wants to hear.
The Delhi government had earlier decided to convert the area into a city forest, given the negative environmental publicity and litigation following the construction of the Commonwealth Games village on the riverbed.
But in view of the coming Commonwealth Games, the government has decided to convert most of it into an office for the Delhi Transport Corporation and create a centrally located parking lot for DTC buses as well.
Around 8 acres are mooted to be a nursery of saplings to be raised for the Games — with the area to be eventually turned into a city forest.
Now, the government is also studying a proposal mooted by an architect to create Delhi’s first museum dedicated to the city in the same area.
“The area will be split into three parts,” said Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta. One will house a new office for the DTC. In the coal yard, the parking area for DTC buses will be built. The transmission part of the power station will remain, he said. The third part will be an 8-acre city forest. Saplings to be planted for beautifying the city during the Commonwealth Games will be raised here.
“But we are also studying a proposal for creating a museum dedicated to Delhi,” Mehta said. “There is a proposal to create a museum in this area which will showcase the history of Delhi and its cultural richness. We will take a call on this.”
With a group of NGOs stiffly against any construction on the riverbed, and Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna calling for a moratorium on any construction there, this is not what the lobby wants to hear.
“It is good that the thermal power plant has been shut down. That is a good decision taken in favour of public health,” said Manoj Misra from Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan. “But creating offices and new buildings will be illegal. This will violate the High Court’s order banning any construction within 300 metres of the river. The entire area should be converted to a city forest.”
The power plant is located on the banks of the Yamuna and used to take water from the river for its operations. A recent report on the carbon footprint of Delhi revealed that in 2007-08, power generation from the five plants in Delhi — Badarpur, Indraprastha, two at Rajghat and Pragati — created 9.7 Mega Million Tonnes (MMT) of carbon dioxide. In comparison, the entire road transport network created between 7 to 8 MMT.
Further, though Delhi is creating several city forests, most are located in peripheral areas of the city.