Musi Riverfront Project: Telangana Govt firm on demolition, but says ‘no forceful evictions’

Musi Riverfront Development Corporation officials had conducted a drone survey and identified 10,600 houses and structures along the 55 km stretch. These structures were in the riverbed and buffer zone limits and had to be relocated.

Hyderabad:Unmoved by the agony of the people facing an uncertain future with the State government firm on demolishing their homes on the banks of River Musi, the two officials at the helm of the demolition drive on Saturday however claimed there would be no forceful evictions. In fact, they claimed that many families had already agreed to shift to double bedroom houses constructed in different areas in the city.

Musi Riverfront Development Corporation officials had conducted a drone survey and identified 10,600 houses and structures along the 55 km stretch. These structures were in the riverbed and buffer zone limits and had to be relocated. However, not a single family would be evicted forcefully and all oustees would be provided 2BHKs, which were worth Rs.25 lakh to Rs.30 lakh, Municipal Administration and Urban Development Principal Secretary Dana Kishore said at a press conference here.

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Accompanied by HYDRAA Commissioner AV Ranganath, Dana Kishore said officials had surveyed 974 houses in different areas along the river stretch over the last two days. Of these, 576 houses were on the riverbed limits and families in 406 houses were ready to relocate, he said.

“Already 50 families have been shifted to different areas and another 150 families are being shifted today. The government is arranging packing and transportation as well,” Dana Kishore said, adding that 15,000 2BHKs were identified in different areas for providing them to Musi riverbed oustees. Help desks would be established in different areas for oustees to get ration cards, Aadhar cards and LPG connections. This apart, support of NGOs, Prof Haragopal and Prof Kodandaram was being taken to convince them for relocation, he maintained.

Rs.10,000 crore for Musi Riverfront project

The MAUD Principal Secretary said Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had issued directions to ensure fresh water flows in River Musi by June 2026 and Rs.10,000 crore was approved for the Musi riverfront project. Of this, Rs.3,800 crore would be spent for establishing STPs with 970 MLD capacity. Five TMC of River Godavari would be diverted into Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar and 10 TMC water would be for meeting drinking water requirements of the west zone, besides constructing check dams at different locations in the river, he explained.

Efforts for preparing an aggregate master plan for River Musi was under progress and the agency would submit one preliminary DPR in four months. Tenders would be floated in a week and once the tenders were finalized, works would commence in a few months, he added.

Meanwhile, Ranganath reiterated that structures that lacked permissions from local bodies were being demolished only after issuing prior intimation to the occupants. Calling Kukatpally resident Buchamma’s suicide unfortunate, he said HYDRAA would not touch houses owned by poor and middle income groups. Many house owners claimed they secured permissions from panchayats and other local bodies but in many cases, those permissions were cancelled in the past, he claimed and said HYDRAA was being projected as a ghost.

On the selective demolitions, the HYDRAA Commissioner said: “We are doing our homework and will take action after completing all formalities. No influential person will be spared. Janwada farmhouse does not come under our purview and it falls under GO 111.”

Contradictory versions

Interestingly, while Ranganath said in case if any structure was found in the FTL or buffer zone of a water body or on government land and permissions were issued in the past, such permissions would be revoked. Dana Kishore however, immediately intervened and said all permissions issued in the past by different local bodies would be honoured and they would be valid.

Study tour for City MLAs

The State government is arranging for a tour in October to study river front development projects in Seoul and other places for city MLAs, especially in whose constituency the River Musi flows.