BRS stages walk out from Assembly protesting against corruption in Musi Project
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi staged a walkout in the Telangana Assembly, alleging a Rs.1.5 lakh crore scam in the Musi Rejuvenation project. KT Rama Rao criticized government transparency, questioned DPR inconsistencies, land acquisition, and demolition figures, demanding accountability
Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) staged a walk out from the Assembly on Wednesday in protest against what it called a massive scam of Rs.1.5 lakh crore being carried out in the guise of the Musi Rejuvenation project.
BRS working president KT Rama Rao clarified that the party was not against the Musi rejuvenation project but against the government’s approach on the issue during question hour in the Assembly.
The BRS working president raised a few critical aspects over the apprehensions among people, especially those getting affected due to the project.
Cornering the ruling Congress party, he said Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu, during the last session in January, had informed the House that it would take 18 months for completing the Detailed Project Report (DPR). Contradicting his statement, the Minister stated that the DPR was already ready, he pointed out.
Further, the Minister in the last session stated that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) had in principle approved the Musi project. However, when the Musi Jan Adolan approached the ADB, it clarified that the DPR was not submitted and that the project was not approved in principle, Rama Rao said.
“Explain the rationale behind inflating a project originally estimated at Rs.16,000 crore to Rs.1.5 lakh crore. How can Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy claim Rs. 1.5 lakh crore in public statements, while figures of only Rs.4,000 crore to Rs.5,000 crore were being cited in the Assembly?” he asked.
Referring to official Gazette notifications, Rama Rao pointed out that over 10,000 houses were likely to be demolished and more than 3,260 acres of land would be acquired.
But the government claims 1,435 structures were identified and sought to know on what basis they were identified. This apart, the Meinhardt company was blacklisted and banned in Pakistan and Singapore but the Congress government involved it in the project, he said.
Highlighting inconsistencies, he pointed out that while the government claimed a 50-metre buffer zone, notices were issued to residents in areas like Hanuman Nagar located nearly 5 kilometres away.
Intervening, the Industries Minister urged the Speaker to instruct the BRS MLA to confine to question. “We are ready for a short discussion on the Musi project,” Sridhar Babu said.
Rama Rao criticised the government for its lack of transparency, stating that there was no clear answer on whether a DPR even exists. The Managing Director of the Musi River Development Corporation reportedly stated that no DPR was available, he said and alleged that the government had failed to provide accurate details regarding the number of houses to be demolished.
Accusing the Congress party of having originally turned the Musi River into a polluted drain, he alleged that the same party was now attempting to exploit the situation for large-scale corruption in the guise of redevelopment. “If a DPR exists, it should be immediately tabled in the Assembly,” Rama Rao demanded.
Protesting against the government’s failure to give replies and clarify on these issues, the BRS staged a walk out from the House.
