How did Musi beautification cost Rs 1.5 lakh crore? MP Eatala to CM

Hyderabad: Malkajgiri MP Etala Rajender penned an open letter on Sunday firing off a volley of questions to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy over the Musi beautification project.

In his letter, the BJP MP asked whether the project is meant to hand over lands to construct malls to the 'big people' in the name of the Musi beautification project?

Demanding to disclose the action plan of the state government to clean River Musi and if the government had any Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared for the project. He asked what the alternatives the state government made for those displaced in the demolition of houses as part of the Musi beautification project.

Besides, he questioned about demolishing a house worth crores of rupees and offering a double-bedroom house?

Etala mentioned in his letter that the cleaning and development of the Sabarmati River Front cost about Rs 2,000 crore. The 'Namami Ganga' project incurred Rs 22,000 crore as part of the Ganga rejuvenation project over 12 years. Then, he questioned how the cleaning and development of the Musi River could cost a whopping Rs 1.50 lakh crore. Further, he asked for the details of the contract entity, that was intended to be handed over to the project. He stressed that answers are needed for all these questions.

Etala said he was not against rejuvenating ponds and water bodies to maintain ecological balances and flood prevention.

Earlier, ponds acted like lifelines for the people. However, now they are contaminating ground water and turning into breeding grounds for diseases. Impacting the health of people residing in their vicinity.

Raising strong objections to the demolition of houses constructed 40 years ago by taking due permissions from successive governments, he said, "the demolitions playing havoc in the lives of the poor's dreams to own a house." He urged the chief minister to act lawfully and constitutionally and not to think that he wields unbridled power that empowered him to trouble poor people.

Etala recalled how former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao had floated the idea of cleaning the Musi for ten years but did nothing. The BJP MP has taken strong objection to projecting the people who bought lands and built houses as violators of the laws.

He said that he had visited all apartments, in places like Panigiri Colony, Marutinagar, Chaitanya Puri, and Prajay Engineering Syndicate are the like." He questioned how demolitions are carried out without ascertaining the FTL and buffer zone of ponds. He said that the demolitions put a question mark on the future development of Hyderabad. Reiterating that he will continue to fight for the cause of the poor people, he expressed, "We are ready to come anywhere if an all-party meeting is held under the chairmanship of the chief minister who has decision-making powers."