Telangana’s Musi Project a ‘Land Grab’, Not Beautification: BRS Attacks Congress Govt

Hyderabad, Mar 14 (TNT): Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working President and former Municipal Minister K. T. Rama Rao (KTR) on Saturday alleged that the Congress government’s proposed development of the Musi River was not a beautification initiative but a “massive land grab scheme” aimed at acquiring valuable land along the river.

Addressing a programme titled “Musi Rejuvenation – PowerPoint Presentation vs Public Point” near Himayat Sagar, KTR said the river could be developed without demolishing houses and harming residents.

He said the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi government had developed nearly six kilometres of the Musi stretch in Uppal and Nagole without demolishing any houses and had prepared a comprehensive development plan costing around ₹16,000 crore.

However, he alleged that the current Congress government led by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has proposed a project worth about ₹1.5 lakh crore, which he claimed could lead to demolition of thousands of houses and facilitate large-scale corruption.

The BRS working president also criticised the government for proceeding with the project without a Detailed Project Report (DPR), social impact assessment or environmental study, and without consultations with affected communities.

KTR said his party was not opposed to Musi development but would strongly oppose any attempts to demolish houses or carry out corruption in the name of the project. He alleged that the government’s intention was to acquire about 3,300 acres of land along the river, valued at nearly ₹1.5 lakh crore.

Drawing a comparison with the Namami Gange Programme, he questioned why ₹1.5 lakh crore was required for developing just 55 km of the Musi when the Ganga rejuvenation project covering hundreds of kilometres was executed at around ₹42,000 crore.

Accusing the Congress of historically neglecting the river, KTR said the party should apologise to the people of Hyderabad for turning the Musi into a polluted drain during its earlier rule.

Several BRS leaders, including Sabitha Indra Reddy, Swamy Goud and R. S. Praveen Kumar, attended the programme and expressed support to residents opposing the proposed project.