Hyderabad: When Telangana was reeling under a `6 lakh-crore debt run up by the previous BRS government and was paying over `60,000 crore interest every year, how could the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government raise funds for the `1.5 lakh crore Musi project, Union minister of state for home Bandi Sanjay Kumar said on Thursday.
In a statement, Sanjay claimed the government was finding it difficult to pay salaries of government employees. He also recalled that consecutive state governments have raised funds from Japan International Cooperation Agency and others in the name of Musi river beautification and used the money for their own interests.
“The BRS government had raised `1 lakh crore for the Kaleshwaram project and used the project as its ATM. Now, the Revanth Reddy government wants to raise `1.5 lakh crore in the name ‘Musi Rejuvenation Project’, which it will use as its own ATM,” Sanjay alleged.
He said the people of Telangana were the most indebted in the country, with each family owing `1,29,599 as a share in the state debt, which was more than triple the national average debt of `40,000.
Sanjay pointed out that about 92 per cent families in the state were in debt compared to the national average of 52 per cent, and added that the Musi project would sink the people deeper into debt.
He said the BJP was not against cleaning of the Musi river but was opposed to the bulldozing of houses belonging to the poor.
