Govt wants 60-acre plot in lieu of depot near Yamuna (TOI), 4 Dec 10

Abantika Ghosh

NEW DELHI: In what could be an admission that its case for Millennium Bus Depot was not quite as firm as claimed to be, the Delhi government has offered to consider shifting it if an alternate 60-acre plot of land could be provided for buses. After being drawn into a stalemate with the Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna's office over the proposed revision of circle rates criticized for being tweaked to suit political interests the Delhi government has been at loggerheads with Raj Bhawan over the bus depot on the Yamuna riverbed. Despite having made "encroachment on its rights'' the centrepoint of the recent Assembly session, the alleged violation of clearances in constructing a permanent bus depot on the riverbed instead of a temporary one might have put the city government in a spot. Red-faced over at least two letters from the LG office asserting that DTC's Millennium Depot was to be a temporary structure for the duration of the Commonwealth Games and under pressure from the green lobby as well as DUAC, Delhi government sought to lob the ball into Khanna's court. The city government has sent the relevant file to Raj Niwas with a note that the depot could shift only if DTC is allotted similar land elsewhere a statement that could be interpreted that all was indeed not in order with the Millennium Depot. LG is the chairman of DDA, the largest land-owning agency in the city. The depot stands on 60-acre land and is used to park 1,000 buses. It is the largest depot of its kind in the world. Chief secretary Rakesh Mehta told Times City: "So far, as we are concerned, we are very clear about the definition of temporary till such time that an alternate land is allotted. Which is exactly what we have written to the LG. Moreover, because it is the Yamuna bed, we have voluntarily foregone the right to use 25% of the land for commercial purposes which the Masterplan allows us to do in DTC depots.'' The interpretation of "temporary'' to mean a situation till alternate land is alloted might give the government an escape route. The government's hand might also have been forced by the L-G's control over DDA. The lack of commercial usage notwithstanding, this is the first time Delhi government has actually spoken of shifting the depot. The transport commissioner and the chief secretary have so far resolutely maintained that there is no question of the depot ceasing to function.