HYDERABAD: Terming the Opposition BRS as an opportunistic party, IT & Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu on Sunday accused the pink party leaders of provoking people over clearing of illegal structures that are obstructing the flow of water in the Musi river.
Addressing a press conference on the Assembly premises, the minister said that the Congress government’s objective is to “uplift the poor and certainly not to demolish them”.
“The bulldozer is bringing down only the structures that are obstructing the flow of water,” he said.
“At the same time, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has assured the displaced people that they will be allotted double-bedroom houses. We will do justice to all the displaced people. It’s our responsibility,” the minister added.
Alleging that the BRS leaders were shedding crocodile tears, Sridhar Babu cited the instance of Mallannasagar oustee Malla Reddy ending his life and said: “The BRS doesn’t have the moral right to speak about displacement.”
“It was the BRS that sent bulldozers against farmers in Mallannasagar,” he added.
Vision to develop Hyderabad as a global city
Stating that the state government has a plan and vision to develop Hyderabad as a global city, the minister said that they have set up the Musi Riverfront Development Corporation and are clearing illegal encroachments on water bodies.
He said that the state government was conducting a socio-economic survey on the Musi riverfront with the help of 35 dedicated teams. The minister also said that the government will construct bridges on Musi on the public-private partnership (PPP) model and connect Godavari to the river.
Meanwhile, Sridhar Babu said that the displaced people will be provided compensation as per the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
Quashing speculation on estimated expenditure for the Musi development project, he said that the detailed project report (DPR) has not been completed yet. The consultants are still working on preparing the DPR, he added.