Claims by Congress and BRS about Musi development debunked

Wide gap exists between the fund allocation and expenditure for the development of Musi river by the two governments of Telangana since 2014.

The details were shared at a media conference by the Urban Development Forum and Hyderabad Citizens’ Forum, the organs of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Telangana on Tuesday.

Data shared at the press meet showed that ₹4,404 crore was allocated over the past 12 financial years for Musi development, but only ₹37 crore was spent under the head, which amounts to less than 1%.

The figures were shared in the context of the detailed project plans released by the MRDCL at a recent programme attended by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, and the counter presentation by the working president of Bharat Rashtra Samithi K.T. Rama Rao about the plans and development during their regime.

According to the details, for the first three years, the BRS regime made no allocations for the project. During the subsequent two years, funding of ₹377.35 crore per annum was shown in the budget, but the expenditure was limited to ₹3.12 crore.

In 2019-20, the allocation was ₹48.95 crore, but the expenditure was nil. While no allocation was made in the subsequent year, ₹200 crore was earmarked each in the next three years. The expenditure form 2021-22 was nil, while ₹4.94 crore was spent in 2022-23 and ₹11.15 crore in 2023-24.

Since the Congress government came to power, the allocation rose to ₹1,500 crore in the two budgets, but the amount spent remained woefully small — ₹11.55 crore for 2024-25 and ₹6.21 crore for 2025-26 (so far).

For the past 12 years, nothing has been done to clean up the Musi river, but publicity has gone overboard, a note released by the forums said, and found fault with the acquisition of over 10,000 properties in the river’s bed and buffer zones, without even mentioning the rehabilitation plans in the detailed plan.

Even the plan during the BRS government envisaged removal of 8,594 homes, in lieu of allotment of double bedroom houses to the displaced, the note pointed out. Even as Mr. Rama Rao is now claiming that then chief minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao did not agree for displacement, such a statement was never made when the party was ruling, it said.

A demand has been made for consultations to be held with the Musi residents, and the plan to be altered accordingly.