Shifting of Millennium bus depot: DDA to handover plots to DTC

DDA today told Delhi High Court that it will be giving plots at three places to the city government for shifting the DTC's 50-acre Millennium bus depot, built on fragile Yamuna river bed at a cost of Rs 60 crore ahead of the Commonwealth Games in 2010.
Delhi Development Authority, a land developing agency, told a bench of Justice S K Mishra that it will be giving around eight acres of land to the DTC at Sarai Kale Khan area here.
Rest around 20 acres of land in phase IV of Rohini area and certain portions of DDA land at Karkari Mode in east Delhi will be given to the Delhi Transport Corporation, Rajiv Bansal, the counsel for DDA, said.

While formalities related to transfer of plots at Sarai Kale Khan and Rohini will take four months, the process, in relation to Karkari Mode may take six months time, he said.
Earlier, the Delhi government had told the court that it will take nine months to shift the DTC Millennium bus depot, built by the then Sheila Dikshit government.
The bench had directed the government to file an affidavit apprising the court about the reasonable time for vacating the site.

It had asked the DTC and the city government to make a statement as to how much time it required for vacating the site and had warned of imposing a cost.

Accepting the need for a bus depot to cater to a large population of commuters in the city, the high court had earlier granted to the city government time till March 12, 2013 to amend the Master Plan and change the use of the land from river and water body to transportation.
The order was passed on a plea of environmentalist Anand Arya through advocate Reena George against the depot being constructed on flood plain which was earmarked in the Master Plan for recreational activities like biological park etc and against any construction.