Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) on Saturday, March 14, alleged that the Congress government’s Musi Riverfront Development Project is not a beautification initiative but a “massive land grab scheme” targeting valuable lands along the river, warning that the party would strongly resist any attempts to demolish people’s homes in its name.
Addressing a programme titled “Musi Rejuvenation – PowerPoint Presentation vs Public Point” at Himayat Sagar, KTR said the Musi can be developed without displacing residents, pointing to the previous BRS government’s development of nearly six kilometres of the river stretch in Uppal and Nagole without demolishing a single house.
“The government’s real intention is to acquire around 3,300 acre of land along the Musi, whose total value is estimated at nearly Rs 1.5 lakh crore,” he alleged.
Questions expenditure
The BRS leader questioned the scale of the proposed expenditure, asking why the state government required Rs 1.5 lakh crore to develop just 55 km of the Musi when the Namami Gange project, covering hundreds of kilometres, was executed at around Rs 42,000 crore.
He said the previous BRS government had prepared a comprehensive Musi development plan estimated at Rs 16,000 crore, which included an expressway, sewage treatment plants, walkways, cycling tracks, parks, bridges and check dams, along with a plan to bring fresh water into the river through the Kaleshwaram project at an estimated cost of Rs 1,100 crore.
KTR criticised the current government for proceeding without a detailed project report (DPR), social impact assessment or environmental impact study and without conducting consultations with affected communities.
He also accused the Congress of historically neglecting the Musi and turning it into a polluted drain during decades of its rule, demanding that the Congress leadership apologise to the people of Hyderabad for the environmental damage caused.
The BRS leader further questioned the selective enforcement of buffer zone regulations, asking why the government was targeting ordinary citizens while ignoring properties belonging to influential individuals, including political leaders and ministers.
BRS will reverse Musi project when back power: KTR
“BRS is not opposed to Musi development,” KTR said, “but would resist corruption and demolitions carried out in the project’s name.” He assured affected residents that a future BRS government would reverse what he called the “bulldozer politics” of the Congress.
Several Musi residents who attended the event expressed strong concern and anger over the government’s proposed plan, appealing for protection of their homes and livelihoods.
