NEW DELHI: The transport hubs in the city could take on a much wider role than simply moving passengers under the proposed Master Plan for Delhi-2047. The draft framework, as mentioned in the plan, will allow a range of facilities, including budget hotels, hostels and shelters for the urban homeless within railway terminals, integrated passenger terminals, ISBTs and even bus depots.
For rail terminals and metropolitan passenger terminals, the list of permitted activities includes railway operations; passenger and goods facilities; offices; retail and public/semi-public facilities, besides hotels and budget hotels; shelters for urban homeless; passenger/staff accommodation; service apartments; and hostels. The plan says such development should be undertaken in a composite manner.
A similar provision applies to inter-state bus terminals (ISBTs). Delhi currently has three operational ISBTs, including Maharana Pratap ISBT at Kashmere Gate, Swami Vivekanand ISBT at Anand Vihar and Veer Hakikat Rai ISBT at Sarai Kale Khan, according to the Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation.
Two additional ISBT sites, at Dwarka and Narela, have been identified but are not operational currently. At ISBTs, the proposed permissible mix includes bus operations and parking, offices, retail, budget hotels, shelters for urban homeless, passenger/staff accommodation, service apartments and hostels. This means large transport interchanges could potentially become mixed-use complexes where mobility, commercial and social-support functions coexist.
As of now, none of the ISBTs have hostels or service apartments or budget hotels, etc.
The provision is even broader for bus depots. Along with bus operations, maintenance, parking and passenger facilities, the draft permits hotels/budget hotels, shelters for urban homeless, retail, offices, service apartments and hostels. It also states that, as far as possible, bus depots should function as bus terminals.
The scale is significant. The Delhi Transport Corporation’s current locator lists 37 depots, while a recent DTC tender document described 34 depots in Delhi and one in Noida, indicating that the network and classification of facilities have been evolving.
The idea is not entirely new. The existing framework as per the DDA website has already contemplated night shelters within railway and bus terminals, including integrated complexes combining commercial space with shelters, but so far, no such plan has been executed.
Bus depot provisions
The provision is even broader for bus depots. Along with bus operations, maintenance, parking and passenger facilities, the draft permits hotels/budget hotels, shelters for urban homeless, retail, offices, service apartments and hostels. It also states that, as far as possible, bus depots should function as bus terminals. The scale is significant.
