Mega makeover for Musi River, govt allocates Rs 1,500 cr

The Musi Riverfront Development Corporation (MRDC) has got substantial allocations in the budget this year as the government earmarked Rs 1,500 crore. The government has allocated as many as Rs 17,907 crore for the municipal administration and urban development department.

Finance Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka while presenting the budget said that the government was working with the aim that every town and every city in Telangana should develop like Hyderabad.

“We have been able to increase the rate of urbanisation in the state. This stands as proof of the sincerity with which this government is working,” the Finance Minister said.

The Minister talked about the major development plan for the rejuvenation of the Musi River over a stretch of 55 km. In the first phase, this project will extend from Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar up to Gandhi Sarovar.

As part of the Musi rejuvenation, 2.5 TMC of water would be supplied to the Musi through the Godavari Project. While 45 STPs were already functioning, another 39 STPs have been sanctioned and were under construction at various stages.

At the confluence of the Esa and Musi rivers, the government is developing the prestigious Gandhi Sarovar project. This includes river cleaning, flood control, riverfront development, and creation of recreational facilities for the public.

“We will provide rehabilitation to people living in the Musi River buffer zone from a humane perspective, without causing them any hardship,” said Vikramarka.

Our government has sanctioned works worth about Rs 43,592.88 crore through various agencies for the development of Hyderabad and surrounding areas. Of these, works worth Rs 24,752 crore were already commenced. The rest will be taken up soon.

HMDA is implementing several projects for the development of urban transport infrastructure.

As part of this, the government is constructing elevated corridors from Paradise to Shamirpet, from Paradise to Dairy Farm Road, and from ICCC to the Shilpa Layout flyover.

In addition, development works such as an eco-tourism project at Kurmidda, construction of radial roads linking the ORR with the RRR, road widening, and skywalks are being taken up. Radial roads connecting the ORR and RRR are under construction. In Hyderabad’s Old City, the government would be taking up programmes for the conservation of heritage structures, development of the Charminar and Laad Bazaar areas, and improvement of pedestrian facilities

Stating that the Hyderabad Metro Rail was currently serving about five lakh passengers a day, the Minister said that the government prepared a plan to extend this facility to the Old City and to expand the network with new corridors under Metro Phase II.

The decision of the Telangana Government to take over the Hyderabad Metro Rail Project, which is the lifeline of Hyderabad city, from L&T was a bold and people-friendly decision in the history of transport in the state, said the Minister.

In the rapidly expanding city of Hyderabad, metro expansion to the Old City, Shamshabad Airport, and areas beyond Hitec City has become an urgent necessity under Phase II and Phase III.