Kishan Reddy warns government over Musi project ‘demolitions’

Union Minister for Coal & Mines G. Kishan Reddy, who is also the Telangana BJP President, has warned Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy of ‘serious consequences’ if bulldozers are used to demolish houses of the poor for the proposed Musi Rejuvenation Project on Wednesday.

“No government has the power to demolish homes of the poor. We will not keep quiet if the government goes ahead with the beautification work after breaking houses of the poor. If the government is really sincere, it should make use of ₹50,000 crore out of the ₹1.5 lakh crore proposed for the project to construct houses for the poor and rehabilitate them,” he said.

Talking to the media after he interacted with the affected families living in the areas of Amberpet area, he saw a ‘conspiracy’ behind the Congress government’s Musi River plan clearing ‘encroachments’ and noted that such demolitions have already been taken up in a few places.

“People have been living here after constructing houses with their hard earned money. Neither the plots have been given by the BRS or Congress governments nor the houses. The KCR government too had formed a corporation with former BJP MLA Prem Singh Rathod as chairman to remove markings on the houses but it remained a non-starter,” he sad.

The promised two-bedroom housing scheme to rehabilitate the affected families too has not been taken up to an extent where everyone could be accommodated, he pointed out. “In Amberpet, roads have been built, sewerage lines were laid and ration cards have been issued but after many years the government is now bent on demolishing the houses and it was unacceptable,” said the Union Minister.

Earlier, he listened to many families from Moosrambagh, Ambedkarnagar, Tulasinagar, Krishnanagar and other slums pouring out their fears of their houses being demolished by the Hyderabad Disaster Management and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) and sought protection.

Raising slogans against Mr. Revanth Reddy, they implored him to convince the government to halt the demolitions or they will be on the roads. The BJP leader assured them of protecting their properties and about his party’s commitment to stand by them. “It is his responsibility to ensure justice was rendered to the affected families,” he said.

Published - October 02, 2024 07:48 pm IST