Residents and civil society groups opposing Hyderabad’s Rs.7,345-crore Musi Riverfront Project have demanded a re-evaluation, arguing that river-cleaning and restoration should not come at the cost of homes, livelihoods and the natural river system.
The demand was raised on Thursday at Dharna Chowk by the Musi Jan Andolan, which said around 2,000 families could face displacement and nearly 1,200 people risked losing their homes because of the project. The figures were reported by Deccan Chronicle based on statements from the residents’ group and participants at the gathering.
Residents from Bapughat, Haidershakote, Budvel, Haiderguda, Chaderghat and Chaderghat-linked downstream areas said they would not give up their homes and agricultural fields. The affected locations include areas along the Musi and downstream villages that campaigners say could be impacted by the project’s proposed interventions.
The protest was centred on the project’s stated riverfront and river-cleaning objectives. The Musi Jan Andolan said pollution control should begin at its sources and called for river restoration measures that protect affected families. It also argued that the river should be treated as an ecological system rather than only as an urban development corridor.
Human Rights Forum leader Jeevan Kumar said the project “does not serve the best interests of either the people or the river”. His comments were made at the gathering and reported by Deccan Chronicle. Environmentalist Donthi Narasimha Reddy also attended the event and said the Musi should be viewed as an entire river basin instead of only as an urban development project.
The dispute places two objectives of the Musi project in direct tension: improving a heavily urbanised river environment and managing the consequences for settlements, homes and livelihoods along its course. The residents’ groups have not called for river-cleaning to be abandoned, but have demanded that the project be reconsidered around pollution prevention, restoration and protection for affected households.
The project’s reported cost is Rs.7,345 crore. The supplied report does not include a response from the project authorities, details of any final rehabilitation package, or an official confirmation of the number of households expected to be affected. The Musi Jan Andolan’s demands remain focused on re-evaluation, pollution control at source, river restoration and safeguards for residents and families facing displacement.
