Musi project row: HRF activist Syed Bilal house arrested ahead of DPR unveiling

Hyderabad: Activists in Hyderabad have condemned the house arrest of Syed Bilal, Vice President of the city committee of the Human Rights Forum (HRF), calling it an attempt to curb dissent ahead of the state government’s presentation on the proposed Musi Riverfront Development Project.

In a statement, HRF said Bilal, who has been working with residents living along the Musi riverbanks, was confined to his residence hours before chief minister Anumula Revanth Reddy was scheduled to present the project’s Detailed Project Report (DPR) outline at Taj Krishna hotel in Hyderabad.

The organisation said the move was aimed at preventing protests over the possible displacement of riverbank communities.

Activists raise concerns with government

The development comes a day after a 12-member delegation of the Musi Jan Andolan (MJA) met deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu at Praja Bhavan on March 12 to discuss concerns over the project. Ministers Duddilla Sridhar Babu, V Srihari and A Laxman Kumar were also present.

The delegation urged the government to postpone the project presentation at Taj Krishna and release the complete DPR in English, Telugu and Urdu along with river boundary and buffer zone maps. Activists demanded at least 60 days for public feedback and called for hearings with affected communities

Concerns over displacement and land acquisition

Activists said river rejuvenation should prioritise controlling industrial pollution rather than evicting thousands of families living along the Musi. They questioned the proposed acquisition of about 3,279 acres and criticised commercial riverfront plans and river concretisation.

The delegation also sought withdrawal of G.O.Rt. No. 921 issued in December 2025, which identified over 10,000 structures for the project and exempted it from social impact assessment under amendments to the land acquisition law.

Opposition grows

MJA said it would boycott the Taj Krishna event and continue protests. The organisation also cited earlier demolitions along the Musi and questioned claims that the Asian Development Bank had approved Rs 4,100 crore for the project.

Separately, activists met T Harish Rao of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, who assured them he would raise the issue of alleged demolitions and displacement in the Assembly.