‘Metro's Yamuna Bank complex coming up without clearances' (Hindu 20 October 2010)

NEW DELHI: Construction at the Delhi Metro railway's Yamuna Bank complex is on in full swing and like most of its projects will be completed in time, but what sets it apart is that the mandatory clearances and go-ahead from agencies for some portions are missing.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was granted permission to construct a yard, a depot and a line on the riverbed, but also coming up on the ecologically critical zone is a residential complex for its employees. Alarmed by the destruction of the riverbed, a non-government organisation, Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan (YJA), has shot off a letter to DMRC to reconsider their plans.
“I wrote to DMRC Managing Director E. Sreedharan but have not heard from him or the organisation. The construction of a residential complex is in violation of rules and most importantly it does not have any environmental clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, nor was it sent for approval to the Delhi Urban Arts Commission,” says Manoj Misra of the YJA.
According to Mr. Misra, the land where the yard, the line and the depot are belongs to the Delhi Development Authority and DMRC has the rights to construct here, but the land where the residential complex is coming up has been sold to DMRC by the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department on the precondition that DMRC cannot construct anything there before getting the land use changed by the DDA.
“DMRC has not got the change done in the land use. It was initially meant only for greening purposes. When the construction first began in the riverbed, we had advised caution. Even the Yamuna Standing Committee had advised much caution. The matter went first to the Delhi High Court in 2007 and then to the Supreme Court,” said Mr. Misra.
He said the Delhi High Court was informed by DMRC that it had decided to shelve its plans to build residential quarters on the riverbed, but they never submitted the requisite affidavit to the Court.
Mr. Misra also pointed out that the complex was flooded recently during the rains. “When the river rose during the rains the complex was completely flooded and it was established that the construction on the riverbed was wrong. Flood waters also reported from the Shastri Park depot.”