Chant development mantra while in power and pro-poor mantra while in the Opposition.
This seems to be the standard template of Indian politics.
No wonder that the ongoing political wrangle over a big-ticket development project in Telangana is following the same pattern.
At the centre of the controversy is the multi-crore Musi Riverfront Development project, conceived by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) when it was in power from 2014 to 2023.
But, in its new avatar as the main opposition party, after losing power in the December 2023 assembly polls, the BRS has made a dramatic volte face.
It is now fiercely opposing the project being implemented by the Congress government.
The project is aimed at rejuvenating and beautifying Musi river that flows through Hyderabad and adjoining districts.
In the first phase, the government proposes to develop the 55-km-stretch of the Musi River in Hyderabad on the lines of Sabarmati Riverfront Project of Gujarat and Hooghly Riverfront Project of Kolkata.
As part of Musi riverfront project, a tourism circuit will be designed by connecting the historical buildings— Charminar, Taramati Baradari and other tourist places situated along the Musi catchment areas.
India’s biggest scam
The BRS working president KT Rama Rao, who as a minister for municipal administration had conceived the project years ago — now dubs it as the country’s biggest scam — alleging that it is being used by the Congress leaders to funnel funds into the party’s election campaigns across various States.
Questioning the decision to escalate the project cost to ₹1.50 lakh crore, he warned that it would be a disaster.
The BRS has thrown its weight behind the people whose houses face the threat of demolition to make way for the project.
Hundreds of structures have come up on the river bed and the buffer zones over the last few decades. Removing these encroachments has become a major challenge for the government.
The Musi Riverfront Development Corporation (MRDC) officials had conducted a drone survey and identified 10,600 houses and structures along the 55 km stretch.
These structures were in the riverbed and buffer zone limits and had to be relocated.
However, the Managing Director of MRDC and secretary of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Dana Kishore has assured that not a single family would be evicted forcefully and all oustees would be provided two-bedroom apartments, each worth ₹25 lakh to ₹30 lakh.
However, as the protests against the encroachment drive grew, the opposition party has come out strongly in support of protestors.
“We had developed a comprehensive Musi rejuvenation project with a budget of just ₹16,000 crore but could not implement it. Now, they (Congress) plan to spend ₹1.5 lakh crore without any clear objectives or benefits and turn it into their personal reserve bank,” Rama Rao alleged.
He said his party would stand by the people and fight for their rights, and was even prepared to take the issue to the Supreme Court if necessary.
“We will not remain silent while the Congress destroys the lives of the poor. If they send bulldozers, we will stand in front of them,” he declared.
He also pointed out that most of these layouts were regularised and construction permissions were given during the previous Congress governments.
Replicating London’s Thames
The government is drawing up plans to take up beautification of Musi riverfront on the lines of London’s Thames project.
During his trip to Davos to participate in the World Economic Forum (WEF) in January, the Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy also visited London to study development that had taken place along the Thames. He held discussions with officials and experts of the Port of London Authority, the principal governing body of river Thames. He is keen to replicate the Thames Riverfront development in Hyderabad along Musi.
The project proposes to revitalise the ecosystem surrounding the Musi River. It aims to improve 110 square kilometres of urban area.
As part of this project, recreation zones, public plazas, children’s theme parks, and entertainment zones will be developed.
The project received an allocation of around ₹1,500 crore in the previous budget and survey has commenced in the catchment areas of the Musi River.
The survey is being conducted under police protection to prevent any tensions. In Hyderabad district, 16 teams were deployed to conduct the survey.
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