Noisy protests and tense moments mark the Musi survey in Hyderabad

Residents displaced by Musi River Development project resist officials, protest against Chief Minister, demand alternative housing solutions.

Revenue and Municipal officials knocking at the doors of the residents along the Musi river who are to be displaced by the Musi River Development project are facing stiff resistance from the latter. Several locations such as Satya Nagar colony in Kothapet, Mahmood Nagar in Kishanbagh reverberated with raucous protests when officials came to collect the details.

One rally was conducted by the protesters from Langar Houz. “The rally started from PVNR Expressway pillar number 102-104 and traffic was disrupted between 2.30 p.m. and 3 p.m. by 200-odd protestors. We identified 10 of them who then met the MRO and RDO and later were taken to meet the Chief Minister to petition him,” informed a police official. Another batch of protestors reached the MRO office in Bahadurpura against the proposed demolitions.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, the architect of the Musi development project, has become the target of public ire, especially women, who openly hurled abuses and curses against him.

Member of Parliament from Malkajgiri Constituency Eatala Rajender visited Satya Nagar and staged a sit-in in solidarity with the residents.

“We thought the government had plans to protect the people by securing the river with retaining walls, and deepening it to facilitate flow. We thought the issues of groundwater pollution would be addressed by cleaning up the river. We did not imagine that dwellings where the river water never reached would be confiscated by the government,” Mr. Rajender said.

Security was beefed up in Satya Nagar in view of Mr. Rajender’s visit. Tense moments were witnessed when a person attempted to end life by pouring kerosene over himself, but alert policemen thwarted the attempt by dousing him in water.

Residents got down to arguments with the visiting officials, and the most asked questions about was how the government had given permissions, done registrations and cleared LRS applications if the houses had been built on the riverbed.