Millennium depot fate hinges on PIL (Times of India 22 January 2011)

New Delhi: The much-touted millennium bus depot of the Delhi government and DTC is under the gaze of the Delhi high court for alleged encroachment over the Yamuna river bed. HC on Friday clearly told both authorities that the survival of the parking lot, made to house buses recently purchased by DTC in the run up to the 2010 Commonwealth Games, will depend on the outcome of the PIL filed by an NGO. The court, however, declined to stay the construction of an embankment by the city government on the flood plain of the river Yamuna where the world's largest bus depot has been built. "Any construction carried out shall be subject to outcome of writ petition. The defendant (Delhi Government and DTC) shall not claim any special equity right over the same", a bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said while hearing a PIL filed by V K Jain, the president of the NGO 'Tapas'. The NGO had moved an application challenging the move to use the area as a permanent bus depot and sought a direction for its demolition. In its plea, the NGO alleged that the depot has been built on the Yamuna river bed violating the zonal laws of Delhi and while it was supposed to be a temporary structure just for the duration of the Games, the authorities have made it permanent parking lot. "The Delhi government is proceeding to encroach upon the river flood plain in utter disregard to the zonal development plan 2021 of the DDA, approved by the Ministry of Urban Development," the petitioner alleged. "The action of the government is all the more violative of the concept of good governance for it has, instead of setting an example in showing respect to the law, carried out the construction which is violative of the zonal plan," the petitioner added. He also said the construction of the depot near Nizamuddin Bridge would cause an environmental disaster as the depot is located on the active flood plain and water recharging area. However, the Delhi government defended the construction saying it doesn't encroach onto the river bed. It also pointed out that there had been constructions on the same land even earlier.