Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLAs walked out of the ongoing budget session of the Telangana Assembly on Wednesday, March 18, during a discussion on the Musi River rejuvenation project.
The Musi Rejuvenation project is one of the major projects of the Telangana government, under which the development of a river front has been planned at a cost of Rs 1.5 lakh crore. In this regard, the Telangana government had sent a delegation to Japan and Singapore to study the river front programmed in those countries.
While the government has assured that the people living in the river bed will be relocateed, the BRS has been critical of the project since its announcement.
On March 14, BRS Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR) accused the Telangana government of land grabbing in the guise of project. He alleged that the initiative is designed to target 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.
In February, Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao alleged that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy wants to grab land in the name of Musi Rejuvenation project and give it to Ambani and Adani or Megha Krishna Reddy.
DPR for Musi rejuvenation project ready
Addressing the Telangana Assembly on Wednesday, IT Minister D Sridharbabu said that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Musi rejuvenation project is ready.
The minister explained that the first phase will include the 9,2 km stretch from Himayat Sagar to Bapu Ghat.
From Osman Sagar to Bapu Ghat, it is 11.8 kilometres. The estimated project cost for the first phase is approximately Rs 6,500 to 7,000 crores. Approximately 1,435 structures are likely to be affected.
“On January 11, according to GO MS 16 related to the MAUD (Municipal Administration and Urban Development) department, the TDR (Transferable Development Rights) has been published for the consenting families in the buffer zone. Furthermore, according to the 2013 RFCTLARR Act, the necessary land acquisition, relief, and rehabilitation will be provided,” he said.
Is BRS against Musi rejuvenation, asks Dy CM
Just before KTR announced that BRS MLAs were walking-out, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka sought to know whether the BRS was against the rejuvenation of Musi river.
“The rejuvenation of the Musi river is a social responsibility. Our government has resolved to transform the lives of the poor who are living in miserable conditions amidst sewage water, flies, mosquitoes, and diseases. Those who are obstructing the Musi rejuvenation—do they want the poor to continue living in such unhygienic conditions,” he questioned.
He reminded that the chief minister has already made it clear that every poor family losing its residence will be resettled in the same area, irrespective of whether they possessed proper ownership documents or not.
“We will provide interest-free loans to women living there to strengthen their economic condition. For their children, we will establish the Young India Integrated Residential Schools with international standards to ensure their bright future,” Bhatti assured.
“When we are striving to transform the Musi river into a jewel of Hyderabad city, it is not right to create obstacles at every step. Opposition leaders must abandon the mindset that the poor should remain poor and continue living in unhygienic conditions,” he appealed.
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