Millennium Bus Depot: govt tells HC it needs 9 months to shift

After being pulled up for giving "red herrings" to the court, Delhi government today told the high court that it would take nine months to shift the DTC millennium bus depot built on fragile Yamuna river bed at a cost of Rs 60 crore ahead of the Commonwealth Games in 2010 by the then Sheila Dikshit dispensation.
It was earlier demanding a year's time but was pulled up by a bench of Justice Sudershan Kumar Mishra who remarked "don't give me this red herring."
After its request for a year's time was opposed by environmentalist Anand Arya and his counsel Reena George who had moved high court against the depot being set up on the flood plain, it said it would take six months to identify an alternative site and another three months to move.

While pulling it up for its lackadaisical attitude, the bench granted five days time to the government to reassess its plans and time it would take in shifting the DTC millennium bus depot and thereby vacating the ecologically sensitive area.
The bench directed the government to file an affidavit within five days apprising the court about the reasonable time for vacating the site.
"It is submitted that Delhi government has taken a relook at all aspects of the matter...In order to enable the government to reassess its priorities and file an affidavit giving a reasonable time for vacating the site in question..Let the affidavit be filed within five days from today," the bench said.

The HC also expressed its displeasure at the delay caused by the government in the matter.
Standing counsel Summet Pushkarna told the bench that the new government is prepared to do the needful.
He also submitted a draft minutes of the meeting called yesterday by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with various stakeholders including Transport Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, Chief Secretary S K Srivastava and officials from DDA, DTC and DJB, wherein it was decided to remove the depot.