The Musi River project in Hyderabad has triggered a fresh political warning over possible demolitions, with BJP state president N Ramchander Rao saying his party would oppose the removal of homes unless affected residents receive compensation and proper rehabilitation. Rao said the BJP supports scientific purification and beautification of the river but would not accept the displacement of poor families, farmers and other residents without safeguards.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP state office, Rao said river-cleaning work could be carried out without demolishing houses. He also criticised a public hearing held by officials of the Musi Riverfront Corporation near Himayatsagar on October 28, alleging that people directly affected by the project were not invited or allowed to participate.
Rao specifically referred to residents of the Madhu Park area, which falls within the Gandhi Sarovar project limits, and said several ex-servicemen live there. He questioned how a public hearing could be considered representative if those facing displacement were excluded from the meeting.
The BJP leader also questioned the financial basis of the project. He alleged that the previous BRS government had allocated an estimated Rs.750 crore for the Musi Corporation but ultimately provided only Rs.3 crore. He said the current Congress government was presenting estimates running into thousands of crores without showing a clear Detailed Project Report or budget allocations.
Rao warned that the BJP would oppose any move to demolish houses without compensation or rehabilitation. He linked the issue to the state government’s reported financial obligations, including pending dearness allowance payments, pay revision, pensions and support for farmers, and questioned whether the administration had the resources to implement the project while protecting displaced residents.
He called on the government to hold a direct Praja Darbar with the affected residents and resolve their concerns before proceeding further. The demand places public consultation and rehabilitation at the centre of the dispute over the Musi project, rather than treating river rejuvenation as only an engineering or beautification exercise.
The Musi Riverfront Corporation and the state government have not been quoted in the report responding to Rao’s allegations about the October 28 hearing, the absence of a publicly shown Detailed Project Report or the claimed funding figures. The report also does not specify the number of homes or residents that could be affected by any proposed demolition.
Rao additionally announced that Union Home Minister Amit Shah would visit Hyderabad on November 2 for a Maha Padayatra organised from the Babu Jagjivan Ram statue opposite Nizam College in Basheerbagh to the Mozamjahi Market crossroads. He said the event would include party cadres, lawyers, doctors, intellectuals and experts, and would address the BJP’s opposition to the Congress’s position on the Special Intensive Revision process.
For the Musi project, Rao said the BJP would continue to stand with residents facing displacement and insisted that a direct engagement with affected people should take place before the government moves ahead.
