HYDRAA: Damage control attempt by Congress leads to more damage

Congress' damage control appears to backfire, with only more damage being caused to the party's image

Hyderabad: With criticism mounting from different sections on HYDRAA and the Musi riverfront project, the Congress on Tuesday entered damage control mode and began countering the charges of the BRS over the HYDRAA demolitions and the controversial Musi riverfront project after realising that public sentiment was building up against the ruling party and its government. However, the attempts appeared to backfire, with only more damage being caused to the party’s image as IT Minister D Sridhar Babu put a question mark on Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s claim that the Musi project would cost Rs.1.5 lakh crore.

“Musi Riverfront development is a complicated project work and the BRS is trying to further complicate issues,” he said, also targeting BRS working president KT Rama Rao‘s question on how the Congress version of the Musi project would cost Rs.1.5 lakh crore. The Minister said the BRS was running a “Goebbels campaign” on the Musi Riverfront project and misleading the people that the project would cost Rs.1.5 lakh crore. The State government was inviting consultants on what works to be executed under the project, especially how many STPs were to be installed, sewer lines, bridges and other aspects, he said.

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“An RFP (Request for Proposal) has been issued for taking up the project. There is still no clarity on the total project cost,” Sridhar Babu said. This however, is in stark contrast to what Revanth Reddy announced in July. The Chief Minister, after throwing open the Gopanpally flyover in July, had said plans would be prepared for executing the Musi Riverfront project by spending Rs.1.5 lakh crore, with the works to be launched soon.

Earlier, Sridhar Babu had tried to defend his government by stating that it was BRS government that set up the Musi Riverfront Development Corporation Limited in 2017. He said former Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao had conducted several meetings, with the previous government identifying 8,480 unauthorised structures. The Hyderabad and Rangareddy District Collectors were instructed to complete the master plans as well, he said. However, he did not mention how the the BRS government had already taken steps to clean Musi River by installing sewage treatment plants (STPs) and building bridges, proposed at Rs.16,000 crore and already spent Rs.4,000 crore, thus already ensuring that 94 per cent of Hyderabad’s sewage was being treated.

Other similar attempts were made by Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, who said the Congress was not adopting bulldozer governance but delivering people’s governance. People of Nalgonda, Rangareddy and Hyderabad were facing many issues due to murky water in the river and like fighting against Razakars and Seemandhra, there was a need to put up a fight against those opposing the Musi project. Former MLA Mynampally Hanumanth Rao charged that BRS was defaming HYDRAA and trying to instigate people against the agency to derive political mileage. Nagarkurnool MP Mallu Ravi said HYDRAA and Musi beautification were two different initiatives. No demolitions were being taken up near River Musi without rehabilitation, he said at Gandhi Bhavan.