Millennium depot: Govt differs with Jairam Ramesh (Times of India 08 January 2011)

NEW DELHI: Even as the environment minister lamented the construction of Akshardham temple and the Commonwealth Games village on the Yamuna riverbed, the Delhi government doesn't seem to share his views. Amid much controversy, the government recently dispelled all doubts about the Millennium bus depot – a 'temporary' structure that was meant to facilitate DTC's operations during the two weeks of Commonwealth Games. Chief secretary Rakesh Mehta said if the city was expected to expand its public transport system, the bus depot would have an integral role in its plans and there was no way that it would be given up after Rs 60 crore had been spent on developing it. DMRC also came under the scanner when Delhi Urban Arts Commission said that the Metro agency had misled it when it had applied for clearances for its residential quarters in 2007. The 90 flats, coming up in two buildings, are located next to the Akshardham metro station. "At that point, DMRC and the consulting architect indicated that the land in question was operational area under the zonal plan of the master plan. That is completely false and they misled us. The land was riverbed area where such constructions are not allowed. DMRC should have applied for change of land use to DDA and then sought approval from the local body. They applied for change of land use only three years later and more importantly, conceptual approval was not given for a housing project which is clearly what the 90 flats being built comprise," said DUAC sources. The bus depot, used for parking 600 buses, was constructed on 60.58 acres in the 'O' zone of the master plan that does not permit any development projects. Environmentalists cried hoarse over the breach of the L-G's moratorium that prohibited construction on the riverbed but while it was being constructed, they were cajoled into believing that the structure would only be of a temporary nature and pulled down soon after the Games. While DTC accepted in an RTI response that the 61.59-acre land on the Yamuna river bed, which it is using as the Millennium Bus Depot, was meant to be vacated and given back to Indraprastha Power Generation Corporation Limited (IPGCL) as soon as the Commonwealth Games got over, Delhi government officials claimed that the land was not river bed and was earlier being used to dump flyash as it was part of a power plant.