NGO seeks Prime Minister's help to rid Yamuna bed of encroachers (The Hindu/New Delhi- 13 May 2011)

Staff Reporter

Unwilling to let the Delhi Transport Corporation stake claim to a portion of the river bed and use it for a bus depot, the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan, a non-government organisation, has written to the Prime Minister, reiterating the need to rid the floodplain of encroachments.

In the letter, the YJA has supported its claims by drawing attention to the information procured through the Right to Information Act. The NGO pointed out that RTI responses received from DDA show the land was meant for recreational purposes. It also says that DDA has not received any request from the DTC or the Transport Department for identification and allotment of land for shifting of the bus depot currently functioning opposite Indraprastha Park on Ring Road.

The NGO claims there is enough evidence to prove that the portion of land under DTC's occupation is part of the river bed. It has urged the Prime Minister to direct the Delhi Government to remove the temporary bus depot from the river bed.

L-G's order

“Such an act would be in accordance with the directions of the Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi who had allowed the temporary occupation only for the duration of the Commonwealth Games-2010 and that too in the light of the security needs of the Games. This act would also be in tune with the directions dated December 3, 2010, of the statutorily created Delhi Urban Arts Commission which had advised the DTC to dismantle its structures and to vacate the river bed. This act would also be in tune with the directions of the Delhi High Court of December 2005 mandating removal of all structures from within 300 m of the river on either side. In pursuance of which order, thousands of jhuggi-jhonpri structures from the river bed have already been removed…” the letter says.

YJA convenor Manoj Misra said there is land available elsewhere in the city for the bus depot but the Government seems reluctant to clear the river bed. “There is enough space at the nearby Mayur Vihar Phase I City Centre where under the Master Plan of Delhi there is already a sprawling space provided for a bus depot, and which was even suggested way back in 2008 to the DTC by DDA.”

He went on to add: “The DDA itself has informed that the land use of the said area, where the depot stands is green (recreation). Also, the site is dangerous as a high-tension line goes right over it and a mishap can result in an avoidable catastrophe. The bus depot is symptomatic of the wrong and poor planning on the part of the DTC and the Public Works Department (that has raised the depot on behalf of DTC). The entry and exit for the buses from the said depot is fraught with danger as any bus entering from the Ashram side into the depot has to cut through the flowing traffic on National Highway 24 while any bus exiting from the depot again has to cut through the normal flow of the traffic on Ring Road to either proceed towards Ashram or take a U-turn under the flyover for going to Rajghat. This fact also points to the wrong and poor planning in identifying this site for the depot,” he said.


“The land was meant for recreational purposes….enough space at Mayur Vihar for the depot”