Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday flagged off 300 new electric buses, comprising 195 nine-metre ‘DEVi’ buses and 105 regular 12-metre buses, and laid the foundation stone for a high-security prison in Narela.

“The newly inducted buses are low-floor, air-conditioned vehicles designed to provide passengers with safe, comfortable and accessible travel, including for persons with disabilities,” said Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who was also present on the occasion. She added that each bus is equipped with CCTV cameras, panic buttons, real-time GPS tracking, a passenger information system and other smart features.

“With zero tailpipe emissions, these buses will play an important role in improving Delhi’s air quality, reducing carbon emissions and providing citizens with a quieter, more comfortable and environment-friendly travel experience,” the Chief Minister said.

With the induction of these buses, Delhi’s public transport fleet has grown to nearly 6,600 buses, including 4,845 electric buses and 1,755 CNG buses. “The Delhi government aims to build a modern fleet of around 14,000 buses by 2028-29,” Ms. Gupta said.

Three new bus depots

The Chief Minister also inaugurated three new bus depots at Narela, Rithala and Kohat Enclave. The electric bus depots at Narela Sector A-1 and A-4 have a parking capacity of 250 DEVi buses. The Kohat Enclave electric bus depot can accommodate 30 electric buses, while the Rithala depot can house 90.

According to an official, the Kohat Enclave depot also includes an administrative building, service pit, repair shop, washing pit, store, security room and electrical substation.

An automated testing station at the Nand Nagri DTC depot was also inaugurated. It will enable fully automated fitness testing of heavy, light and two-wheeler vehicles. The station has the capacity to conduct fitness tests for 52,000 heavy and light vehicles and 20,000 two-wheelers every year, the official said.

New high-security prison

Meanwhile, another official said the high-security prison project launched by Mr. Shah in Narela will be developed with ₹100 crore allocated by the Ministry of Home Affairs, while the Delhi government will bear the remaining cost. The facility will have a capacity of more than 250 inmates.

The official said the new prison would follow a radial-axial architectural design, with a central vantage point, allowing officers to monitor inmate cells. The design would minimise the possibility of interaction among inmates, thereby preventing gang networking and reducing other security risks.

The prison will feature AI-enabled CCTV surveillance, a command-and-control centre, automated locking systems, full-body scanners, X-ray baggage scanners, mobile signal jammers, video conferencing facilities, and an in-house court complex, the official added. Officers will be provided with body-worn cameras and biometric access control. Each cell will have an independent toilet and bathing facility to minimise unnecessary inmate movement.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday chaired a high-level review meeting regarding the rejuvenation of the Yamuna and called on Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to work through a coordinated action plan instead of adopting “a fragmented approach”.

Union Ministers, Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and senior officials from Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh attended the meeting.

According to an official release, Mr. Shah called for ensuring a standard ecological flow in the Yamuna across the three States. He said 129 sewage treatment plants (STPs) had been completed across Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, while 59 more would be built by 2027. He directed continuous monitoring of pollution indicators, including biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solids (TSS). He also directed that the progress of the Yamuna rejuvenation projects be reviewed every 20 days.

To curb pollution from dairies, Mr. Shah said the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the National Dairy Development Board would sign a memorandum of understanding under which dairy waste would be diverted to biogas and manure plants instead of entering the river. 

Major desilting

Reviewing desilting operations, Mr. Shah said 97% of the targeted 28.57 lakh metric tons of silt had already been removed from drains flowing into the Yamuna, with the remaining work expected to be completed by June 15.

He directed officials to use the extracted silt in manufacturing and construction projects to prevent it from washing back into the river during the monsoon.