HYDERABAD: Describing those affected by the Musi Riverfront Development Project as “victims” of the Congress government’s mindless administration and corruption, BRS working president KT Rama Rao said that in just nine months, the Revanth regime has tarnished the brand image of Hyderabad, damaging the interests of one crore people.
In an exclusive interview with TNIE’s Ireddy Srinivas Reddy, the Sircilla legislator said that labelling the affected people as encroachers is inhuman. He also termed the project as the biggest scam that the country has ever witnessed and claimed the Congress government was trying to turn the Musi scheme into a “reserve bank”
Excerpts
When you were the municipal minister, what was your government’s plan to rejuvenate the Musi river? How is the present Congress government’s plan different from yours?
When we were in power, we had a comprehensive plan for rejuvenation of the Musi river. But the present Congress government is talking about beautifying the river by demolishing thousands of homes belonging to the poor. Our approach was constructive politics, while the Congress government is engaging in a destructive one.
During our time, we had already completed several components, including the construction of STPs with Rs 4,000 crore and bridges with Rs 545 crore. At that time, the total estimated project cost was Rs 16,000 crore. Now, the Congress is projecting it to be Rs 1.5 lakh crore, unprecedented for any riverfront project globally. We call this the biggest scam in the history of the country because we believe that the Congress is trying to turn the Musi project into a “reserve bank” for itself for the next General Elections.
Is the removal of 10,000 encroachments against the interests of over one crore population of Hyderabad?
What you are calling “encroachments” are not actually illegal structures. These are homes that were built 20 to 30 years ago with proper permissions given by the previous Congress governments. If action needs to be taken, it should be against those governments and officials who gave these permissions. Labelling the affected people as encroachers is inhuman. They are victims of the Congress government’s mindless administration and corruption. In just nine months of its rule, this government has tarnished the brand image of Hyderabad, damaging the interests of one crore people.
Are you not going to play a constructive Opposition role? Is opposing everything proposed by the ruling party your only option?
It was the lakhs of affected people who first took to the streets against the Musi project, not us. Thousands of victims have knocked on the doors of Telangana Bhavan to stop this mindless demolition by the Congress government. If the government had a proper vision, we would certainly take a constructive approach.
No opposition party in the country, including ours, will support such destructive government decisions. The Congress has reversed progressive decisions like the Pharma City and Airport Metro Rail projects, which would have enhanced Hyderabad’s brand image. Looking at their actions, it seems like this entire Musi project is aimed at facilitating [Chief Minister] Revanth Reddy’s corruption and securing funds for the Congress party, not for the benefit of Hyderabad.
What changes do you suggest to the government regarding this project?
The Musi project, as proposed by the Congress, primarily targets lakhs of poor people’s homes. This plan should not just be modified, but completely scrapped because it is a large-scale scam. The Congress government, which claims the state treasury is empty and cannot implement its election guarantees, is somehow talking about spending Rs 1.5 lakh crore on this project. Not just this plan, the Congress government’s priorities too need to change.
If the BRS is voted back to power, will you reconstruct the demolished houses in the Musi riverbed?
We will never allow demolition of homes that the poor have built with their lifetime earnings and hard work. Any bulldozer that tries to bring down a house will have to go through us first. The rejuvenation of the Musi river should be done in a way that does not harm or disrupt the lives of the poor and the middle class in any way.
