Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has categorically announced that there is no going back on the proposed Musi Riverfront Development Project that has been the eye of the political storm in the state even as the opposition parties continue to forestall the government’s plans to displace the people living in the catchment areas. He assured that his government will not let anyone turns orphans due to this ambitious project.
Addressing the gathering at the 95th birth anniversary celebrations of former Union minister G Venkataswamy on Saturday, the chief minister appealed to the people living in the Musi catchment areas not to be swayed by the provocative statements of the opposition. “We are going ahead with a clear policy and the opposition leaders are raising the issue of displaced people only to protect their farmhouses from demolitions,” he alleged. “The Congress government will protect every single displaced person. It is ready to spend Rs 10,000 crore for their rehabilitation,” he declared.
Revanth Reddy asserted that the government is ready to go till any extent to provide rehabilitation to the displaced people and vowed to spend even 10,000 Crores if necessary to construct houses for them. He also added that the Race course and the Police Academy at Amberpet will be moved out if needed to accommodate the Musi evictees by constructing new houses.
“We will constitute a committee to work out a rehabilitation plan. We will include BRS leaders T Harish Rao, KT Rama Rao and BJP MP Eatala Rajender in the panel. Let them come forward and discuss the issue”, said Revanth Reddy. He invited them to come to the Secretariat and give suggestions to the government.
He slammed BRS leaders for using Musi residents to protect their farmhouses and other properties. “Tell me what should we do for these poor people? Should we give them house sites or money or land pattas? Give me suggestions. Let us pass a resolution in the Assembly. If lakes and the Musi river are full of encroachments, where will the water go? The water will bulldoze and wipe out the city,” he asserted.
He said that BJP MP Eatala Rajender praised the Sabarmati riverfront project in Gujarat, but is opposing the Musi scheme. “The Sabarmati project displaced 64,000 families. The BJP government in Gujarat did not pay compensation to 16,000 families,” he said.
Revanth Reddy alleged that BRS leaders looted Rs 1 lakh crore in the name of Kaleshwaram project. “Even after spending so much money, the Kaleshwaram project collapsed. Had the BRS been in power now, it would have given the repairing contract to the same contractor and swallowed another Rs 10,000 crore.”