Musi project survey triggers widespread protests in Hyderabad

Faced with an uncertain future, scores of families from dwelling units in areas around the Musi river took to the streets on Friday.

Hyderabad: The markings left behind by revenue officials on their dwelling units are seen by these poor families as the ones that change their fate line and uproot their lives.

Faced with an uncertain future and anguished at the prospect of bulldozer metal blades displacing their lives, scores of families from dwelling units in areas around the Musi river took to the streets here on Friday.

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As the administration initiated the process of marking houses said to be located in the riverbed for demolition squads to run through for the Musi Riverfront Development Project, the affected families protested at Langar Houz, Asad Baba Nagar, New Maruti Nagar Colony and other areas.

Protestors also flocked the Amberpet tehsildar office demanding that the government roll back the decision of evicting 80 workshops in Durganagar Basti. They alleged that revenue officials pasted stickers on these workshops, marking them for demolition, and lamented that the livelihoods of hundreds of families depended on these small ‘karkhanas’.

From areas around Langar Houz, Attapur, Bapu Ghat and nearby localities, residents gathered at Langar Houz and held a protest with banners. Slogans of ‘We Want Justice’ and denouncing the Congress government, rent the air while the banners proclaimed ‘Say No to Demolitions’. As the number of protests swelled, traffic was disrupted at Langar Houz and near Ring Road.

Locals at some places, including at Satyanagar and New Maruthi Nagar North Colony, objected to the survey and marking of properties by the officials and sought to obstruct them. They refused to budge and shouted back in anger their resentment at the unilateral decision of the government to displace them. Some women were heard saying they were not interested in shifting — lock, stock and barrel — to the promised 2BHK units.

The lanes and bylanes of Asad Baba Nagar, Moosanagar and Shankarnagar witnessed local residents, including women and children, going around with black flags and raising slogans against the government. “These are our homes and we want to live here only. We don’t want to move to Uppal or Kollur for those 2BHK homes,” they said.