Gurgaon bus depot plan for new sectors hits a roadblock

Gurgaon: The city bus depot, which had been planned to cater to the new sectors around Manesar, is unlikely to be constructed anytime soon. Feasibility issues have now stalled the project, with GMDA saying "the project is not viable in its current form". The Bhangrola depot was expected to support the growing fleet and improve connectivity between the city and Manesar. In July 2024, the state govt had approved the proposal for the project under the public-private partnership (PPP) model, with an agreement for a 50:50 revenue sharing between GMDA and Municipal Corporation of Manesar (MCM) after the 9.2 acres of land in Sector M-12A had been offered by MCM in May last year. GMDA officials, however, have not ruled out revisiting the project in the future, possibly with a revised approach. But no clear timeline has been set.The Bhangrola depot would have helped reduce operational inefficiencies, as buses currently travel between the existing depots and Manesar without passengers, resulting in dead mileage. The proposed depot near Sector M-12A (Manesar) was aimed at cutting down these losses by providing a facility closer to the new sectors.While, GMDA has realised that access to the land, identified in Bhangrola, is too narrow, severely restricting the movement of buses and heavy vehicles, Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) — hired by the Authority to prepare the project concept — also concluded the proposed depot is not feasible under the PPP model. A GMDA official said, "After the assessment, it was found that the project is not viable in its current form. Given the narrow access road and limited revenue prospects, private players are unlikely to participate."The consultant — DIMTS — pointed out that the narrow approach to the site would limit operations and that the depot's low revenue potential would make it unattractive for private investment.At present, Gurugram Metropolitan City Bus Limited (GMCBL) operates a fleet of 200 buses, with an additional 100 electric buses expected to join later this year. GMDA has set a target to expand the fleet to 700 buses over the next three years. Currently, GMCBL has two operational bus depots — one in Sector 10 and another in Sector 52-53. These facilities, however, can collectively accommodate only 300 buses. While it is also constructing a third bus depot in Sector 48, the project is only about 20% complete so far and the metropolitan authority is aiming to finish it by Dec this year. "The work on the construction of the bus depot in Sector 48 is on track and we are hoping to complete it by Dec," the GMDA official said.