Hyderabad: The BRS MLAs, including KT Rama Rao, and ministers enagaged in heated aruguments over the Musi rejuvenation project in the assembly on Wednesday. BRS legislators KTR, D Sudheer Reddy, Bandari Laxma Reddy and Kaleru Venkatesh raised questions about the project during the question hour. Not satisfied with the govt’s response, the BRS staged a walkout.Earlier, IT and industries minister D Sridhar Babu said the govt was exploring various options for financial assistance for the project, including agencies such as Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank, and even a PPP model. The minister said that the ADB has, in principle, agreed to provide financial assistance for the project, and that the govt has other options for raising loans.He said that the phase-I detailed project report (DPR) for the project is ready, and it is estimated that around Rs 6,500 crore to Rs 7,000 crore will be spent. The minister added that about 1,435 structures would be affected by the project, and that final enumeration is currently underway.Raising the issue, KTR said that the chief minister had earlier publicly announced that the govt would spend Rs 1.50 lakh crore on the Musi project, but was now stating that only Rs 5,000 crore would be required. He added that the govt’s earlier gazette notification stated that 14,000 structures would be affected, whereas it now claims that only 1,400 structures would be affected. “The ADB has informed an agency that it has not approved financial assistance. Secondly, the govt had earlier said it would take 18 months to prepare the DPR. How can it be ready now?,” KTR said. Sridhar said that DPR work began in Jan 2025 and that phase I was completed by Feb 2026, after which it was submitted to the ADB for assistance. He expressed hope that ADB officials, who have visited the state three times, would approve the loan soon. The minister urged the BRS not to oppose the project. KTR said that the BRS is not against the beautification of Musi, but opposed what he termed ‘loot’ in the name of the project.Deputy CM Bhatt Vikramarka said that the govt aims to clean the Musi, as many people living in the catchment areas are facing unhygienic conditions. He said the govt plans to transform these areas and stop the flow of sewage into the river. “Is the BRS preferring that the poor continue to live in such pathetic conditions along the riverbanks?” he asked. Bhatti added that the govt would provide flats to every poor family that loses land due to the project. “In addition, we will provide interest-free loans to women to strengthen them economically,” he said.BRS MLA D Sudheer Reddy said that the previous BRS govt had taken up the Musi project without demolishing houses and had proposed setting up sewage treatment plants along the river. He added that when KCR was the chief minister, he had instructed the Musi corporation not to demolish properties for the project and take up works only on vacant land.
