GOVT HASN’T PAID FOR BUS DEPOT LAND, ALLEGES DDA

NEWDELHI:The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has contested the claim of transport minister Kailash Gahlot who said that the possession of land allotted for construction of bus depots was not handed over to the government despite payment.

A senior DDA official on Tuesday said the authority had not received payment for 46 acres allocated to the government for bus depots three years ago, after the Millennium Park Bus Depot was closed.

“The possession has already been given to the government though the payment was not made. The DDA is yet to receive about Rs 200 crore. In October, the government sent a letter citing a sanction order for Rs 80 crore. But no money was transferred,” said an official.

According to the DDA, the government was provided land in 2014 at three locations — Karkari Mod, Narela, and Rani Khera — for the bus depots.

On Monday, Gahlot wrote to Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal requesting that the DDA be directed to allot 135 acres of land, preferably in south and east Delhi, to facilitate constriction for bus depots.

Justifying his demand, the minister told L-G that additional land would enable the government to increase its fleet of buses to 11,000 from the present 5,594.

The minister wrote to the L-G after the government drew flak for its inability to augment the fleet of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses . In the letter to L-G, he said due to shortage of space at bus depots, the government is unable to procure more buses.