BEST clears transfer of Dharavi, Kalakilla depots for redevelopment project

Dharavi bus depot. File Pic

Nearly two years after it was first proposed, the transfer of BEST's Dharavi and Kalakilla bus depots - spread across 11.58 acres - to the Adani-led Navbharat Mega Developers (NMDPL) for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project is now moving forward. On Tuesday, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) committee approved the transfer of the two bus depots. The proposal now moves to the BMC.

The proposal

As per the proposal, since the two permanent replacement depots will take up to seven years to build, an interim arrangement has been worked out by building temporary bus depots.

Scramble for space

A temporary depot will come up on 6.17 acres of the existing land. While the two existing depots can currently house 288 buses, the temporary depot planned on a portion of the land will accommodate only 145 buses, leaving the transport undertaking scrambling to find space for the remaining fleet. The remaining 5.41 acres will be handed over only after permanent depots are ready, the proposal reads.

Official Speak

The two new permanent, multi-storey depots will together accommodate up to 550 buses - Depot 1 on 8602 sq.m and Depot 2 on 10,544 sq.m (both up to 275 buses). Commercial space will be built on the upper floors. Once the new depot turns operational, the temporary site will be fully given to DRP/SRA. In case of a missed deadline, there will be a penalty levied on the developer as per the development agreement signed in June 2024, a BEST official said.

Voices

Ramakant Gupta, BEST committee member and president of Dharavi Bachao Andolan
‘We have given approval for the transfer of land, as there are lots of stakes involved. The project will not move ahead if the depot land is not handed over, and being a member of the Dharavi panel, we are waiting for the project to begin.'

Dr Nitin Nandgaonkar, another committee member
‘I have asked the BEST administration to provide details of how much land will be given to the Dharavi redevelopment team, what the BEST will get in return, where the location of the temporary depot is and what all problems will be faced by BEST bus parking.'