BRS Must Stop Mud-Slinging On Musi Project: Sridhar Babu

Alleging a consistent pattern of baseless criticism, Telangana IT and Industries Minister Sridhar Babu today said the the BRS appeared to have adopted an approach of throwing mud and asking others to clean it in its comments on the Musi river rejuvenation project.

Responding strongly to allegations made by K T Rama Rao during Question Hour in the Telangana Legislative Assembly, the minister said that the government had already stated that the estimated cost for the first phase of the Musi rejuvenation project stood between Rs 6,500 crore and Rs 7,000 crore. He criticised KTR for terming the project a "Rs 1.5 lakh crore scam", calling such claims completely baseless and misleading.

Babu said that the government was maintaining full transparency by placing all details of the project in the public domain, leaving no room for secrecy.

He said that pollution of the Musi river was a major issue affecting the twin cities, and accused the BRS of attempting to obstruct every effort to address it. He asked whether it was not a fact that the previous BRS government had itself issued a GO in 2016 designating a 50-metre buffer zone on either side of the river. He said that raising concerns now about the removal of encroachments was an attempt to derail a critical development initiative.

He also alleged that the BRS was prioritising political attacks over public welfare and had made a habit of casting aspersions on every initiative undertaken by the Congress government.

Speaking about the credibility of the project, Babu said that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) was prepared by Singapore-based engineering firm Meinhardt, which had extensive experience in executing similar projects globally. He dismissed claims that the DPR was prepared in just two months, and said that it took nearly a year to complete.

The minister also said that the DPR had been submitted to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for financial assistance and was currently under evaluation. He expressed confidence that the project would receive approval at the upcoming ADB Board meeting, and termed the claims that the ADB had rejected the proposal as "false".

Babu asserted that even if ADB funding did not materialise, the government would explore alternative avenues, including other institutions and partnership models. "The Musi rejuvenation project will move forward under all circumstances," he affirmed.