Millennium Depot riverfront project put on hold

New Delhi: Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) proposal to develop a riverfront at the old Millennium Depot on the Yamuna floodplain is unlikely to move forward, with officials indicating that the plan has been put on hold.The proposal, inspired by the Sabarmati riverfront in Gujarat, was first announced by former lieutenant governor VK Saxena in 2023. However, officials now say the site is likely to be repurposed by the Centre, through the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA), for developing a parking facility to ease congestion in the Kartavya Bhawan area.“We are not currently planning any restoration or revival of the land. The Centre has, however, shown interest in developing a parking facility at the site to ease traffic pressure in the Kartavya Bhawan area,” a DDA official said.

MoHUA did not respond to queries regarding the proposed use of the site.When TOI visited the site, a boundary wall was being constructed along the service lane next to Ring Road, running parallel to the Millennium Depot boundary. While DDA said the work was being executed by the Public Works Department (PWD), the department declined to comment on the purpose of the construction.The Millennium Depot was constructed as a temporary facility ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games on the Yamuna riverbank.

It had parking space for nearly 1,000 buses and included five workshop-cum-scanning centres, a logistics centre and two CNG filling stations.The depot was later shut down after it was found to have come up on the Yamuna floodplain in violation of environmental norms, which prohibit permanent or concrete structures in such ecologically sensitive zones.An environmentalist also moved the National Green Tribunal (NGT), seeking relocation of the depot. The green court subsequently asked the applicant to approach the committee monitoring the cleaning of the Yamuna.In Jan 2023, DDA reclaimed around 60 acres of floodplain land that was used by Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) for years. The authority then announced plans to restore the area in compliance with NGT directions.Over the past five years, DDA has undertaken 10 riverfront development projects, including Asita, which features lawns, walkways, a cycle track, parking areas and congregation spaces.