Musi River Front Development: No one will be forcibly evicted from their homes, says IAS Dana Kishore

Hyderabad: Approximately 10,600 households in the Musi River area have been identified as being within the buffer zone and riverbed, with 90% of residents willing to relocate in support of the Musi River Front Development project. Nobody will be forcefully evicted," said Musi River Front Development Corporation Managing Director Dana Kishore.

The Telangana government has decided to develop a 55-kilometer stretch along the Musi River, connecting two points of the Outer Ring Road as part of the first phase of the Musi River Front Development project.

On Saturday, Kishore, along with Hyderabad Disaster Response Assets Protection Agency (HYDRA) Commissioner AV Ranganath, addressed the media.

Speaking to the media, Kishore said, "During the recent rains, Khairatabad area recorded 9 cm of rainfall in just 20 minutes. All this rainwater flows into the Musi River. Whenever Hyderabad experiences heavy rains, our first priority is to alert the residents near the Musi River. This project to develop the Musi River is for the benefit of Hyderabad, with international agencies providing a master plan for the riverfront's development."

According to Kishore, families residing in the buffer zone with pattas will be rehabilitated and compensated under the RFCTLARR (Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement) Act. Structures will only be removed after all legal benefits have been provided. The government has decided to allocate 16,000 2BHK houses for people affected by the Musi Riverfront Development Project.

"The survey of structures on the riverbed has already begun, and removals will only occur after the resettlement of displaced individuals. All residents of the Musi area have applied for the government-provided two-bedroom houses. We are conducting a door-to-door survey with teams comprising government officials and NGOs to ensure that every woman is provided with employment based on her skills. We will also ensure that all students are enrolled to new schools, even if it is in the middle of the academic year," said Dana Kishore.

No Resident is Forced to Relocate:

Dana Kishore urged the public not to believe in misinformation about forced demolitions by HYDRAA. "We are not forcing anyone to relocate. We are ensuring that every resident is provided with proper housing, children are enrolled in Ashram schools, TMREIS schools, or Anganwadi centers, and gas connections are given," he stated.

Project Musi

As part of the Musi River Front Development project, plans include the creation of amusement parks, waterfalls, children's watersports facilities, street vending zones, business areas, and shopping malls.

A tourism circuit will be developed linking heritage sites along the Musi River, such as Charminar, Golconda, Qutb Shahi tombs, and Taramati Baradari.

HYDRAA is not an Evil

HYDRAA is not a ghost or an Evil, but a responsibility to protect the city. A woman Buchamma in Kukatpally who died by suicide on Friday, gave houses to her daughters which are in the buffer zone. Her house was not marked for demolition. But someone showed her HYDRAA as an Evil. That’s not how it should be done. HYDRAA is a responsibility, said AV Ranganath.

Speaking about the colleges of Asaduddin Owaisi, Malla Reddy and Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, Ranganath said, "We got complaints but we kept it on hold worried about the students who are attending the colleges. We will take action on those colleges after the academic year is completed."

BRS opposes demolitions around Musi

Earlier in the day, BRS MLA T Harish Rao criticized the Congress government for the ongoing demolitions being carried out by HYDRA for the Musi riverfront development.

During an interaction at Telangana Bhavan, several residents, who claimed to have lived along the riverbed for years and possessed all the necessary legal documents for their homes, urged the government to relocate the project outside the city to safeguard their homes.