Poor living along Musi river in Hyderabad to be relocated

In a move to clear Musi river of unauthorised settlements, the Telangana government has decided to relocate 10,000 families by allotting them double bed room houses constructed in Hyderabad.

The state government called it a significant move towards social welfare and urban development. Poor families residing alongside the Musi river, which flows through Hyderabad, will be allotted the houses built under the 2BHK housing scheme.

The individuals, who endured adverse living conditions, are set to be relocated to areas equipped with essential amenities. This will also free the river of encroachments, said a statement from the office of minister municipal administration and urban development K.T. Rama Rao.

The minister took the decision at a meeting with the city MLAs on Thursday.

Various aspects regarding growth of the city were discussed at the meeting.

MLAs from Hyderabad placed a unanimous request before the state government to address the existing challenges and irregularities along the Musi river.

Their primary emphasis was on freeing Musi of unauthorised settlements and allotment of the state-built homes to the deserving populace.

The proposed removal of obstructions from the Musi river is a strategic initiative, which lays ground for the upcoming Musi Project.

The project is currently in its preliminary planning stage.

At the meeting, the MLAs thanked the state government and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for ushering in development in the city and future plans for it.

They said that the Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP) succeeded in preventing floods. The MLAs said that the regions that had a history of facing floods did not experience the problem this monsoon.

On the occasion, they expressed support for the state government's plans to strengthen Musi river and SNDP.

Minister KTR appreciated the MLAs for coming up with the proposal which aligns with the state government’s vision to prevent floods in Hyderabad.

He said that the state government will shift the poor people residing alongside the river, who are already identified, to a safer place and allot them double-bedroom houses. The minister said that this will provide significant relief to the poor who are forced to live near the river because of poverty.

Also, this addresses the existing blockages, in the form of unauthorized constructions, in taking up plans to prevent flooding of Musi river and other plans.

The risk of flooding in areas alongside the river too will come down.

He said that this paves way for works related to the Musi project. KTR said that the state government already completed the preliminary plans regarding the Musi project.

He stated that works related to SNDP Phase-II will be sanctioned soon. The distribution of double-bedroom houses will commence in the forthcoming week and the programme will be conducted at places where the houses are located.

The minister had said on Wednesday that 70,000 2BHK houses built in Hyderabad are ready for distribution among beneficiaries.