HC seeks DDA reply on DTC plea for 6 months to shift bus depot

Delhi High Court today sought the DDA's response on DTC's plea seeking six more months to approach the land-owning agency to allow Millennium bus depot, built at a cost of Rs 60 crore for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to be used for parking buses by changing the land-use.
A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath issued notice to Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and sought its reply by September 14 on DTC's plea that it required more space for additional CNG buses to be inducted in its fleet on the orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

"In view of changed scenario requiring Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) to augment its fleet by adding more buses, more space is required to park them. The already existing space requires to be protected and therefore, this application is being filed seeking permission and extension of time to get the Millenium land-use changed from DDA so that the bus depot continues to be in its present use," the DTC has said.
The high court in September 2012 had given DTC six months time to either amend the Master Plan Delhi (MPD) 2021 so that the Millenium depot can function where it is now and, if that was not possible, then to relocate it, the bus company said in its plea.

After the expiry of six months, a contempt plea was filed against DTC for not relocating its depot, which is now pending before a single-judge bench of the high court, it said.
DTC had undertaken before this bench in January last year that it would shift the depot by October 31, 2014, to alternate site provided by DDA. The deadline for relocation in April this year was later extended to August 20 by the court.

Now, on instructions of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, DTC moved the court seeking six more months to approach DDA to consider changing land use of the site from river and water body to transportation, DTC told the court.

But the DDA said that NGT has declared the area as 'zone O' where no development can take place.
The 50-acre millenium depot was built on the banks of river Yamuna initially as a temporary depot during the 2010 Games, with a parking space for around 1,000 buses, besides various facilities including five workshop-cum-scanning centres, a logistic centre and two CNG-filling stations.