The Delhi Development Authority and the state government are at loggerheads over who will fund the construction of the DTC bus depot opposite the Commonwealth Games Village. While the plan for the construction of the depot has been in the pipeline for around two years, the question of funds cropped up a fortnight ago, when the Delhi government and the DDA began discussions on the financial aspects of the project.

Cash-strapped DDA claims that transport facility during the Games is entirely the government’s responsibility and therefore it must pay for construction at the 20-acre land identified by the civic agency opposite the Games Village. The Delhi government, also suffering from the shortage of funds, meanwhile, is unwilling to pay for the project as it will be using the land only the for the duration of the Games as a tenant.

“The land is low-lying and nearly 20 feet deep. For buses to be parked, we will have to fill it up and compress the earth for it to withstand pressure. It would require crores of rupees. Why should we spend the money for the land which will be with us only a fortnight,” a senior Delhi government official said. As the argument continues, Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna has been asked to intervene and a meeting with all agencies concerned has been scheduled for next week.

The bus depot will accommodate 200 buses to ferry athletes and their teams to the sporting venues.

The DTC has also demanded a filling station inside the depot. This is not possible as the land falls on the riverbed and according to the Supreme Court no permanent structure can be built over it without the court’s permission.

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