90% of Musi Riverbed Residents Willing to Relocate to 2BHK Homes: MA&UD Secretary

Hyderabad:Ninety per cent of residents whose houses on the Musi riverbed have been marked for demolition were willing to relocate to 2BHK houses, according to MA&UD principal secretary M. Dana Kishore. He told the media on Saturday that not even one person living in the structures would be evicted forcefully.

Stating that most residents had applied for 2BHK houses and were awaiting allocation, Kishore said at a media conference: “They should be happy that they have skipped the waiting queue and entered into pucca houses and many people are happy shifting to their new house.”

“It is only a few people who built multistoried buildings in the river bed and collecting rents are creating ruckus in the guise of the poor,” he added. The officials of line departments have already issued instructions from Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to make the poor and middle income families not face any hardships due to the Musi Riverfront Development Project. Verification revealed that whenever the gates of twin reservoirs are opened, the ones living in Musi river bed have to temporarily vacate their dwelling units and come back once the gates are closed.

The MA&UD officials have compared the Musi riverfront development project and its economic benefits to Outer Ring Road (ORR) and stated that, after decades, a government has dared to take up this project.

“ Musi Riverfront development is not a mere beautification project, it will reclaim Hyderabad’s lost glory, duly generating employment” said Dana Kishore. While the East West corridor will improve connectivity, bridges for hawkers will benefit the poor according to officials.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has directed the officials to take works making sure that by July 2025, the water in the Musi is cleaned. As a part of this task, sewage treatment plants will be set up.

Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection (HYDRAA) A.V. Ranganath said that satisfactory disaster management is possible only through asset protection.

“HYDRAA is not a buchi (evil ) it is badhyata ( responsibility) bharosa (assurance),” he said, citing that some people, especially encroachers, are trying to project the organization as barbaric and only illegal structures will be demolished.

Some of the important decisions pertaining to HYDRAA's future course of action include lodging complaints against officials who issues building permits in full tank level (FTL) and buffer zone of city lakes and builders responsible for illegal structures mushrooming there in addition to coordinating with banks to ensure loans are not granted to such properties.