New Delhi, Sep 22 Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday laid the foundation stone of a three-level, multipurpose DTC bus depot at Hari Nagar, vowing to revive the public transporter from losses of Rs 65,000 crore and double the e-bus fleet from 3,000 to 6,000 by next year.
Speaking at the function, CM Gupta said the Delhi government is committed to revolutionise the transport sector in the city – including the Metro and public transport buses.
“Very soon, a new EV policy of our government will also be unveiled,” she said, adding the government is committed to raise the number of DTC e-buses from 3,000 to 6,000 by next year so that the issue of air pollution can also be addressed.
Referring to the upcoming facility at Hari Nagar, she said the state-of-the-art centre will have facilities for parking and charging more than 400 electric buses. Along with that, all necessary facilities such as cleaning, office, dormitory, commercial complex, and mall will be provided for employees and officers.
“While earlier the depot could park only 250 buses, now its capacity will double. Each bus will take about 40 minutes to charge, and there will be about 84 charging stations,” she said.
CM Gupta said, “This gift to Delhi under the ‘Seva Pakhwada’ will give a new direction to the capital's transportation system. Equipped with new technology, this self-sustainable building will bear its own expenses, so there will be no additional burden on the government.”
“It will provide new momentum and strength to the resolve of Developed Delhi – Developed India 2047 by developing Delhi's smart, green, and accessible transportation system,” she said in a post on X.
The CM assured more such redevelopment of bus depots, installation of charging stations in the city and revival of Inter-State Bus Terminals so that the revenue generation gets a boost.
Reiterating the BJP government’s commitment to revive the debt-ridden Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), she said, “The previous governments never cared for the financial health of the Corporation. Corruption and lack of intention to improve resulted in losses. This is the reason why we brought a CAG report in the Assembly to expose wrongdoings which resulted in DTC’s losses touching Rs 65,000 crore.”
Calling DTC the lifeline of Delhi, CM Gupta also hit out at the previous AAP government led by Arvind Kejriwal for ignoring the DTC’s financial woes and pushing the public transport utility into a loss of about Rs 65,000 crore – which is as much as Delhi’s Annual Budget.
The Chief Minister also pointed to the solar power generation at the new depot and the use of green technology for its construction. The commercial complex within it will generate revenue, making the entire complex financially self-reliant.
“I want to request the officials that the new depot should be made ready by the next Navratris, about 12 months away from now,” she said.
Promising DTC employee welfare and air-conditioned offices, CM Gupta said that she has proposed that the residential colony being developed at Shadipur Bus Depot should also have dwelling units for employees of the Corporation.
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