Govt. to create depots for over 10,000 buses: Gahlot

Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot laid the foundation stone of the Kirari bus depot, which will come up at an area of 5.4 acres and house 140 buses.

Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot on Sunday laid the foundation stone for the Kirari bus depot, which is being constructed to house 140 buses.

Spread across 5.4 acres, the facility is among the nine new bus depots to come up in the city, as announced in the Delhi budget 2023-24. The depot is set to be completed by December.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Gahlot said the Delhi government will spend ₹160 crore on this depot. This includes ₹40 crore paid to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for acquisition of the land, ₹40 crore to be paid to the Public Works Department (PWD) for the construction and nearly ₹80 crore for the electrification of the depot.

“In 2015, Delhi had 5,842 buses. It has increased to 7,379 buses in 2023. With most of the land in Delhi being under the DDA, it is the commitment of the [Arvind] Kejriwal government to find land parcels for depots to house over 10,000 buses in the near future to create a modern, efficient and sustainable public transportation system,” the Minister said.

The Delhi government has set a target of inducting 10,480 buses by 2025, with 80% of this fleet being electric to promote sustainable transportation. “As a result, approx 4.6 lakh tonnes of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions will be reduced every year. This will help in significantly reducing pollution levels in Delhi,” Mr. Gahlot had said in his budget speech last month.

The other eight depots will come up at East Vinod Nagar 2, Narela, Daurala, Burari, Savda Ghevra, Kapashera, Gadaipur and Chattarpur.

Meanwhile, the government said that the 100 new Mohalla buses, to improve last mile connectivity, announced in the budget will be introduced this month.