Hidden Agenda Behind Musi River Cleanup: Harish Rao

BRS deputy floor leader and former minister Harish Rao today strongly condemned the State government evicting people for the Musi rejuvenation project, and accused Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of using the project as a cover for real estate interests.

Rao, along with BRS MLAs Sabitha Indra Reddy, Sudheer Reddy and Madhavaram Krishna Rao, as well as Rajendranagar BRS in-charge Karthik Reddy, met the families of Madhu Park Apartments who were facing eviction allegedly in the name of the Musi Riverfront Project.

Speaking to the media, the BRS leader alleged that the Musi project was being pursued without a clear policy, Detailed Project Report (DPR), finalisation of the Full Tank Level (FTL), environmental clearances, or a social impact assessment. Despite this, eviction notices were being issued to middle-class families, he said, and asked under which law homes were being vacated when statutory approvals were yet to be obtained.

Recalling the previous government's approach, Rao said that the BRS government had focused on cleaning the Musi by constructing sewage treatment plants (STPs) and preparing DPRs to bring the Godavari waters into the river, without displacing a single family. He said that the vision was to enhance Hyderabad's image and promote public welfare, not to demolish homes.

Rao alleged that every major decision of the present Chief Minister was driven by land deals and real estate interests. From attempts to acquire Central University land to converting Pharma City into the Fourth City, he claimed that the pattern reflected a clear real estate agenda. He alleged that the Musi project was being used to take over prime lands and hand them over to private developers, and demanded to know whose interests were being served in the name of the Musi project.

He said that the BRS was not opposed to cleaning and rejuvenating the Musi, but was firmly against demolishing the homes of the poor and middle-class families in the name of development. "Build STPs, stop sewage inflow and use Godavari water to clean the river. But do not destroy people's lives and lifelong dreams," he said.

The BRS MLA also asked how the government claimed that it lacked funds for fee reimbursement, pensions for retired employees and Rythu Bandhu for farmers, yet had hundreds of crores for luxury camp offices and mega events, and large payments to contractors.