Telangana's calls for funding for key projects, including Musi rejuvenation and Metro Phase-2, go unmet in Union Budget 2025
Hyderabad: Despite multiple visits by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and his Cabinet ministers to Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ministers, seeking funds and projects amounting to nearly ₹1.7 lakh crore for Telangana, the Union Budget presented in Parliament on Saturday ignored the state.
Requests for financial support for Musi rejuvenation, Metro Rail Phase-2, airports in districts, and irrigation projects were ignored. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman's seventy-four minute- long Budget speech did not mention Telangana at all.
Revanth Reddy had appealed to Centre to sanction ₹55,562 crore for development initiatives within the Greater Hyderabad alone. Highlighting Telangana's urban growth, he had stressed that the state was home to 8 per cent of India’s urban population.
He had requested the Centre to sanction 20 lakh houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) 2.0, noting that Telangana was the first state to join the scheme and had comprehensive data and plans ready for implementation.
On Metro Rail Phase-2, Revanth Reddy informed the Centre that detailed project reports (DPRs) had been completed for several corridors, including Nagole to the Shamshabad airport (36.8 km), Raidurgam to Kokapet Neopolis (11.6 km), MG Bus Station to Chandrayangutta (7.5 km), Miyapur to Patancheru (13.4 km), and LB Nagar to Hayathnagar (7.1 km), totaling 76.4 km.
The estimated cost was put at ₹24,269 crore and Revanth Reddy had proposed a 50:50 joint venture between the Centre and the state governments.
The CM sought ₹10,000 crore for the rejuvenation of the Musi River, with plans to construct canals, box drains, and sewage treatment plants (STPs) along a 110-km stretch, including 55 km in the city. He urged the Centre to allocate `6,000 crore for projects aimed at filling Godavari waters into Osmansagar and Himayatsagar, which would address Hyderabad’s water scarcity and rejuvenate the Musi River.
He had also outlined a comprehensive sewerage master plan (CSMP) requiring ₹17,212 crore to develop a sewerage network across Hyderabad and 27 surrounding municipalities. He urged the Centre to consider the CSMP under AMRUT 2.0 or as a special project.
For the comprehensive underground drainage (UGD) project in Warangal, Telangana's second-largest city, Revanth Reddy had requested ₹4,170 crore as part of its master plan for urban development.
The CM appealed for the allocation of 1 lakh solar pumps under PM KUSUM to support tribal farmers. He requested 2,500 MW under the Kusum-C FLS component and urged the Union power minister to approve nine pending project reports worth ₹488 crore.
Revanth Reddy had also appealed for the release of `16,100 crore under the Jal Jeevan Mission to ensure clean drinking water supply to all households. He had stated that only 77.6 per cent of the state’s houses receive piped water and 7.85 lakh households still lack this facility. The Chief Minister stressed the need for immediate funding to extend water connections, especially to houses under the PMAY (Urban) and (Rural) schemes.
