Hyderabad: Activists, Greens Urge Review of Musi River Project

Hyderabad: More than 100 activists, environmentalists, and academics from Telangana and elsewhere have called for an immediate review of the Musi Riverfront Development Project. The National Forum of Urban Struggles (SHRAM) and the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) issued a joint statement, claiming that the government was rushing the project to prioritise commercial interests over the needs of local communities and the river’s health.

The statement criticised the rapid pace and demolitions that have displaced low-income residents along the Musi. “Why is this project being hastened and demolitions of homes of poor working people being carried out, without even the detailed project report (DPR), clearances and rehabilitation policy in place,” the activists asked, urging that “rejuvenation” must not result in mass displacement, land grab or privatisation.

Signatories include environmentalists like Soumya Dutta and Medha Patkar, academics such as Prof. Rama Melkote, and Telangana activists including Sajaya K. and Venkat Reddy. Also supporting the call were re Rohit Prajapati and Prof. Navdeep Mathur, who had raised similar concerns about the Sabarmati Riverfront Project in Gujarat.

The activists demanded that the natural flow of the Musi be protected by controlling pollution rather than pushing commercial development. They called for an end to forced evictions and urged that residents’ rights to housing, livelihoods, and participation in decisions be respected.

The Congress government, they said, must keep its promises of social justice and ensure the project uplifts, rather than displaces the local population.