DTC can't go back on undertaking to shift depot: HC told

Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) cannot go back on shifting the Millennium bus depot, built at a cost of Rs 60 crore for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, once it has taken up the job, Delhi High Court was told today.
The submission was made before a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath by senior advocate Shanti Bhushan, appearing for two environment activists on whose plea the high court had in 2012 given DTC six months to relocate its depot or get the Master Plan Delhi (MPD) 2021 amended to enable it to continue functioning from its current location on the banks of river Yamuna.

After expiry of six months, a contempt plea was filed by the petitioners, Manoj Misra and Anand Arya, against DTC for not relocating its depot, which is now pending before a single-judge bench of the high court.
DTC had undertaken before this bench in January last year that it would shift the depot by October 31, 2014, to an alternate site provided by DDA. The deadline for relocation was later extended to August 20 by the court.
The submission was made during hearing of an application of DTC seeking six months to approach the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to change the land use of the depot site to prevent its shifting.

After hearing the brief arguments, the high court today reserved its verdict on DTC's application.

DTC had earlier told the court that the Urban Development Ministry was examining the issue of changing land use of the depot site to enable the city government can park its buses.
DDA on the other hand had told the court that change in land use was not possible as NGT had prohibited construction in areas demarcated as zone 'O' and the site fell in such a zone.
The 50-acre millennium depot was built on the river bank initially as a temporary depot during the 2010 Games, with a parking space for around 1,000 buses along with various facilities including five workshop-cum-scanning centres, a logistic centre and two CNG-filling stations.