Citizens, experts slam Musi project; demand public consultations

Mohammed Mustafa, a mechanical engineer in his 50s, returned to his family in the city after working overseas for 20 years. After returning, he along with his brother, built a house in New Decent Colony of Budvel just two years ago.

“The house has my 20 years of sweat and blood in it. Now, the government says it will take away my property, without showing any details or drawings of the project. If they do it, I will die along with my family,” says Mr. Mustafa resolute in his voice.

His house, within 50 metres of the Musi river’s High Flood Level, is among the five in the colony marked for takeover by the government for the Musi Riverfront Development Project.

Speaking at the meeting organised by the Musi Jan Andolan at Dharna Chowk protesting the project, Mr.Mustafa alleged that the buffer was not marked by technical experts.

“The Telangana High Court is within 10-15 metres of the river. It was built by experts who knew what they were doing,” Mr. Mustafa said.

Mohammed Abdul Aleem Subhani from Dargah Khaleez Khan village in Kismatpur says his house is beyond the 50 metre buffer zone, yet was demarcated for acquisition.

Anger and frustration was palpable in the voices of several persons to be displaced by the project who arrived at the venue.

“We bought homes with all required permissions, yet people are saying we encroached into buffer,” says Sudha Goparaju from Madhu Park Ridge apartment complex in Langar Houz which was in news due to protests.

Environmentalist and public policy expert Donthi Narasimha Reddy who spoke at the meeting, questioned the 50-metre buffer fixed by the Revenue department.

“Irrigation department is technically qualified to fix the buffer but Musi buffer was fixed by the Revenue department, with no scientific basis, but only real estate in mind,” Mr. Narasimha Reddy said.

Taking the stage immediately after BRS legislator D. Sudheer Reddy’s address, Mr. Narasimha Reddy lambasted both the Congress and previous BRS governments, saying there was no difference between both.

“Since 1990, Musi is being viewed as real estate. Successive governments are the sole reason for Musi turning into a sewage and effluent dump. The water board has no answer to questions about the amount spent on city’s drainage network so far,” he fumed.

If the river is to be rejuvenated, the work should begin from Vikarabad, and an integrated Musi River Basin Authority should be set up for integrated revival, he said.

He dismissed the sewage treatment plants offered as the solution by Mr.Sudheer Reddy, by pointing out that none of the STPs installed so far have fulfilled their mandate.

Mr.Sudheer Reddy, while elaborating about the plans for Musi during the BRS regime as the chairperson of the MRDCL, said 85% of the lands along the river banks were private patta lands. He offered STPs and desilting as the solutions for Musi pollution.

The meeting unanimously demanded public consultations, tabling of Detailed Project Report, and source treatment of pollutants, before the project could go any further.