BRS Slams Government's "Injustice" In Musi River Project

Senior BRS leader Dr Sravan Dasoju, in an open letter to the Chief Minister, the Deputy CM and Cabinet ministers, today condemned the Telangana government's proposed Rs 1.5 lakh crore Musi river beautification project.

Dr Dasoju said that the administration was indulging in a heavy-handed approach and insensitivity in forcibly evicting families without adequate compensation or consultation, and compared these actions to UP CM Yogi Adityanath's bulldozer tactics.

He lamented the demolishing of the homes of lakhs of people living in the riverbed and the buffer zones without the compensation mandated by the Right To Fair Compensation And Transparency In Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation And Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013. He said that there was a contradiction between Revanth Reddy's actions and the philosophy of the Congress, a party that strived to uphold Indira Gandhi's vision of "Roti, Kapada Aur Makaan".

Dr Dasoju expressed deep concern over the government's refusal to engage in meaningful dialogue with environmentalists, urban planners and the affected communities. He said that the absence of ward-level meetings or Grama Sabhas to gather stakeholder input undermined the transparency and credibility of the project. He also criticized the administration's discriminatory treatment of the riverbed and buffer zone residents, labelling them as illegal encroachers and denying them their legitimate claims.

He described GO No 477 as a diversionary tactic that circumvented the legal framework of the RFCTLARR Act, 2013, which was designed to protect displaced families. He said that instead of upholding this law, the government formed a separate Livelihood Support Committee only after demolitions had begun - a move Dr Dasoju called a cover-up to deflect public outrage over the illegal evictions and the displacement of marginalized communities.

The BRS leader also raised concerns about the government's hasty demolition of homes without a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the beautification project. He stressed that the lack of a DPR showed the administration's failure to develop a thoughtful plan for the project's scope, environmental impact, financial estimates and resettlement strategy. He called the project a superficial attempt to create a facade of progress while neglecting the people's rights and the river's future.

Dr Dasoju also wondered about the role of senior bureaucrats in enabling these "unconstitutional" actions. He asserted that the silence of these officials, who needed to uphold justice and law, amounted to a betrayal of their duty to protect the citizens' rights.

He demanded that the government take the following steps to ensure justice and fairness: withdraw the "hastily issued" GO No 477 and immediately halt all demolitions; engage in transparent dialogue with stakeholders, conduct ward-level meetings, and hold Grama Sabhas along the Musi River stretch from Vikarabad to Wadapally; prepare a DPR with comprehensive rehabilitation and resettlement provisions as mandated by the RFCTLARR Act, 2013, and make it publicly available; and provide a detailed and transparent breakdown of the Rs 1.5 lakh crore project budget.

Dr Dasoju said that the revival of the Musi river needed to both respect the environment and protect the livelihoods of the people residing along its banks. He said that only by involving all stakeholders, including environmentalists, urban planners and affected communities, from Vikarabad to Wadapally, could the project achieve true success and sustainability. Anything less, he warned, would constitute a grave violation of fundamental rights and a failure to uphold the State's constitutional obligations.

"Our fight is not just to protect homes, but to uphold justice, humanity and democratic values," he said, urging the government to act with compassion and integrity for the people of Telangana.