Hyderabad: National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) founder member Medha Patkar has asked Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy to suspend the unveiling of the Musi riverfront development detailed project report plan, with a minimum 60-day period for the submission of suggestions and objections from all stakeholders. She said “a detailed dialogue should take place under your leadership with representatives of the affected communities and Musi Jan Andolan, along with Musi River Development Corporation Limited (MRDCL) and other concerned officials, as well as public hearings in the Musi-affected communities”.In a letter to Revanth Reddy on Wednesday, Medha Patkar asked the govt to constitute an independent committee for a comprehensive review of the project, encompassing aspects of re-envisioning from a river basin approach (instead of a faulty riverfront approach), addressing alleged violations of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR), Act, 2013, shortcomings in the environmental impact assessment, and a holistic evaluation of the socio-ecological consequences of the riverfront project, with full participation from the Musi Jan Andolan and affected communities.Medha Patkar said she received an official invitation through email from the MRDCL managing director, titled ‘Invitation: Musi River Rejuvenation Phase 1 Unveiling by CM on March 13′, announcing the unveiling of detailed project plans for Musi river rejuvenation.“The programme is described as culminating in ‘partnership discussions’ for ‘meaningful engagement with stakeholders and partners’. Regrettably, this framework starkly excludes grassroots and indispensable voices: directly affected families, particularly those served land acquisition notices; environmental experts and social activists; and collectives like the Musi Jan Andolan, representing upstream and downstream community concerns,” she said.She also asked the govt to “immediately withdraw all land acquisition notices for the Musi project, including those issued invoking the 2017 LARR amendments, as the same is violative of the 2013 Act and is also causing a lot of trauma amongst affected people”.“Despite the concerns, we still remain optimistic about your administration’s vision and actions, aligned with the ethos of ‘Praja Palana’ (People’s Rule), which must be marked by transparency and accountability. Since some international financial institutions are being approached for this project, they too would endorse these imperatives for socio-ecological compliances, as per their review mechanisms towards equitable development,” she added.
