HYDERABAD: BJP leaders, who have been staging protests on issues concerning people for the past six days in the state capital, staged another demonstration on Saturday demanding the government to not demolish the houses built by the poor on storm water drains in Hyderabad.
A posse of BJP leaders led by their state unit boss K Laxman, took out a rally across the 14 slums in Musheerabad, which falls under the Hussainsagar nala, demanding that the houses of the poor in these areas should not be demolished during the ongoing drive against encroachments on storm water drains.
Later, they staged a dharna at Indira Park. Speaking on the occasion, Laxman said all these houses were constructed by the GHMC itself, 30 years ago, for the poor people. The then governments had even sanctioned land pattas to the slum-dwellers in the 14 slums, which fall under Hussainsagar nala, he added.
“If the government demolishes the houses of the poor people, where will they go? Instead of pulling down their houses, the government should construct a retaining wall so that flood waters will not enter these houses,” Laxman said.
The BJP leader alleged that the government had forgotten its promise of constructing two bedroom houses for the poor. The Centre had sanctioned 90,000 houses as its share for the housing scheme. The Centre had even released Rs 350 crore to the state. On the Centre’s instance, `3,300 crore loan was also sanctioned from HUDCO to the state, of which `1,900 crore was released to the state, he said.
“Even then, the state is unable to construct double bedroom houses to the poor, a promise made by CM K Chandrasekhar Rao during the GHMC polls,” BJP MLA G Kishan Reddy criticised.